Abstract

A polarimeter which permits measurement of transient rotations has been built and used to make measurements of the Faraday effect in pulsed magnetic fields.

The polarimeter uses two photomultiplier tubes to compare the intensity of an unanalyzed fraction of the light to be analyzed with a fraction which passes through a fixed analyzer. A rapid comparison of the output voltages of the two photocells yields a continuous record of the state of polarization of the incident beam. Measurements can be made in the presence of a large amount of unpolarized light. When the electrical system has a band width of about 200 cycles per second, a rotation of one minute of arc can be detected. The over-all accuracy of the system as used to measure the Faraday effect is 3 percent. Dispersion data in the visible are given for the Verdet constants of Polystyrene, ethyl laurate, and dodecyl acetate.

© 1952 Optical Society of America

A Polarimeter for Measurement of Transient Retardation Changes

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The Design of Photoelectric Raman Apparatus*

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