HIGH-ACCURACY UNIVERSAL POLARIMETER MEASUREMENT OF OPTICAL-ACTIVITY AND BIREFRINGENCE OF ALPHA-QUARTZ IN THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE REFLECTIONS

The high-accuracy universal polarimeter (HAUP) method for simultaneous measurement of birefringence and optical activity in crystals is used when multiple reflections at the plate faces cause modulated variatio n of the optical parameters. We applied the HAUP method to obtain the birefringence and gyration tensors of alpha-quartz as a function of te mperature in the range 25-100 degrees C at lambda = 632.8 nm. Results for birefringence Delta n = n(e) - n(o) and nonnull gyration tensor co mponents g(11), g(22) = g(11), and g(33), with samples cut in differen t crystallography planes, are consistent with crystal symmetry and in good agreement with other reported values. For example, the temperatur e coefficient d(Delta n)/dt for a cut perpendicular to the optical axi s is -1.06 x 10(-6) (degrees C)(-1), g(11) = (5.9 +/- 0.4) X 10(-5), a nd g(33) = -(10.1 +/- 0.2) x 10(-5) at 24 degrees C. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America [S0740-3224(98)00103-9].