Navigation: Coatings > Coating Types > Polarizer/Waveplate

 

Polarizer/Waveplate

 

Contact Us: fredsupport@photonengr.com

 

 

 

Description


The Polarizer/Waveplate coating type uses complex Jones Matrices to create ideal representations of polarizer coatings and waveplates.  Note that the Jones Matrix construct only applies to transmitted rays.  The Jones Matrix specification can be applied with an optional "coat" parameter, which designates an additional coating from the Coatings folder of the object tree that will operate on the reflected and transmitted rays.  The default additional "coat" parameter has a value of "None", which means that there will be a 100% reflected component that is not operated on by the Jones Matrix and a transmitted component that is the result of the Jones Matrix operation.

 

The Jones Matrix operation works in the following way. The incident ray's E-field is resolved into x,y,z components in the local coordinate system of the surface and the complex Jones Matrix is then applied to the x,y and z components of the decomposed field.  The resulting E-field vector is then transformed into the transmitted ray's local coordinate system and the ray inherits the E-field components normal to its k-vector.

 

The following coatings can be created using the Polarizer/Waveplate coating type:

General Matrix

X Linear Polarizer

Y Linear Polarizer

+45 Linear Polarizer

-45 Linear Polarizer

1/4 Wave X Fast Axis

1/4 Wave Y Fast Axis

1/4 Wave 45 Fast Axis

1/4 Wave -45 Fast Axis

1/2 Wave X Fast Axis

1/2 Wave Y Fast Axis

1/2 Wave +45 Fast Axis

1/2 Wave -45 Fast Axis

Right Circular Polarizer

Left Circular Polarizer

 

Navigation


The Polarizer/Waveplate coating can be created in the following ways:

Open a new coating dialog and select "Polarizer/Waveplate Coating (Jones matrix)" as the coating type.

 

 

Controls


Control

Inputs / Description

Defaults

Name

Name of the coating.

Coating n

Description

Description of the Coating here

Blank

Type

Coating type.  Select "Polarizer/Waveplate Coating (Jones Matrix)" from the drop-down menu.

Sampled Coating

Polarizer/Waveplate Coating Options

Type

Type of polarization coating to apply (in transmission).

X Linear Polarizer

Coat

Available coatings from the Coatings folder of the object tree to apply in conjunction with the polarization coating.  A "none" coating acts as a coating with 100% reflection and 100% transmission.

None

J00

Amplitude and phase of the J00 (row,col) Jones matrix element

0, 0

J10

Amplitude and phase of the J10 (row,col) Jones matrix element

0, 0

J01

Amplitude and phase of the J01 (row,col) Jones matrix element

0, 0

J11

Amplitude and phase of the J11 (row,col) ones matrix element

0, 0

 

OK

Accept settings and close the dialog.

 

Cancel

Cancel settings and close the dialog.

 

Help

Get Coating Help topic.

 

 

 

Application Notes


Transmitted and reflected rays

 

The Jones Matrix is applied only to transmitted rays.  After the transmitted ray is processed by the Jones Matrix, the transmission coefficients defined in the additional "coat" specification are then applied to the ray.  Symbolically, the transmitted ray would have power Pin*Tjones*Tcoat.

 

The Jones Matrix does not operate on reflected rays.  The reflected ray power is given symbolically as Pin*Rcoat.

 

The "None" option for the additional "coat" parameter of the Jones Matrix specification acts as a coating with 100% reflection and 100% transmission.  In this case, the power in the transmitted component would be Pin*Tjones and the power in the reflected component would be Pin.  Note that this does not generally conserve power.

 

The polarizer will not affect the power of the reflected ray.

 

 

Polarized rays

 

The electric field vector of a polarized ray is decomposed into orthogonal components relative to the local z-axis of the surface.  Any component of the electric field that projects onto the global z-axis is affected by the polarizer.  This case can arise when the direction of a ray is not parallel to the global z-axis or if the polarizer is rotated.

 

The orientation of the fast axis (waveplates) or transmission axis (polarizers) is defined in the local coordinate system of the surface.

 

 

Unpolarized rays

 

In the absence of any other coating specification, the transmitted flux of an unpolarized ray incident on any of the linear polarizers is reduced by half.

 

In the absence of any other coating specification, the flux of an unpolarized ray incident on any of the waveplates is maintained on transmission.

 

If the Polarizer/Waveplate coating type is a linear polarizer, then the unpolarized rays will be transmitted with the appropriate polarization.  Any other polarization type will not (including the General Matrix type).

 

 

Polarizing coatings and wavelength

 

Polarizing coatings are insensitive to wavelength.

 

 

Polarizer/Waveplate Coating Types


General Matrix

This is the only polarizing coating that can be edited by the user. Manually enter values for the amplitude and phase angle (in degrees) for each of the Jones matrix element. A positive phase angle advances the relative phase and a negative phase angle retards it.

 

X Linear Polarizer

The transmission axis is parallel to the local X-axis of the surface.

 

Y Linear Polarizer

The transmission axis is parallel to the local Y-axis of the surface.

 

+45 Linear Polarizer

The transmission axis is rotated 45 degrees about the local Z-axis of the surface.

 

-45 Linear Polarizer

The transmission axis is rotated -45 degrees about the local Z-axis of the surface.

 

1/4 Wave X Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is parallel to the local X-axis of the surface.

 

1/4 Wave Y Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is parallel to the local Y-axis of the surface.

 

1/4 Wave +45 Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is rotated 45 degrees about the local Z-axis of the surface.

 

1/4 Wave -45 Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is rotated -45 degrees about the local Z-axis of the surface.

 

1/2 Wave X Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is parallel to the local X-axis of the surface.

 

1/2 Wave Y Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is parallel to the local Y-axis of the surface.

 

1/2 Wave +45 Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is rotated 45 degrees about the local Z-axis of the surface.

 

1/2 Wave -45 Fast Axis

The fast axis is of the waveplate is rotated -45 degrees about the local Z-axis of the surface.

 

Right Circular

This polarizer is a linear polarizer followed by a 1/4 wave plate. Right-hand circular polarization is created regardless of input polarization. Transmission is 50%.

 

Left Circular

This polarizer is a linear polarizer followed by a 1/4 wave plate. Left-hand circular polarization is created regardless of input polarization. Transmission is 50%.

 

 

Related Topics


Coatings - Overview

Coatings - General Sampled Coating

Coatings - Quarter Wave Single Layer Coating

Coatings - Sampled Coating

Coatings - Script Coating

Coatings - Thin Film Layered Coating

Coatings - Uncoated

 

For details about Raytrace Controls, select the following link.

Raytrace Controls

 

For reference information regarding Jones Matrices, select the following link.

Optical References

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © Photon Engineering, LLC