How Can Optical Devices Like QWP and HWP Determine the Polarization of Light?

[pmehnati]

Hi,
how we can determine the right or left circularly polarized light by using the optical devices such QWP or HWP or others.

 

[The_Duck]

If you send circularly polarized light through a QWP it becomes linearly polarized in a direction that depends on the orientation of the QWP and whether the light was left or right circularly polarized. Then you can send the linearly polarized light through a polarizing beamsplitter. When the QWP is oriented properly, one beam from the beamsplitter corresponds to the left circularly polarized part of the original light, and the other to right circularly polarized part of the original light.

 

[Meir Achuz]

Send it through a quarter wave plate. It will come out linearly polarized at 45 degrees to the fast axis (taken as vertical). If the plane of polarization is the the left as you look toward it, the light was LH circular polarized.

 

[Redbelly98]

Hi,
how we can determine the right or left circularly polarized light by using the optical devices such QWP or HWP or others.

Can you describe your application? Is this for laser light, or is the source of light something else?