Numerical modeling of nominal and stray waves in birefringent interferometers: application to large-field-of-view imaging Fourier transform spectrometers
Résumé
Birefringent interferometers are often used for compact static Fourier transform spectrometers. In such devices, several uniaxial birefringent parallel or prismatic plates are stacked, with their optical axes set so that there is an efficient coupling from ordinary to extraordinary and extraordinary to ordinary eigen-modes of two successive plates. Such coupling, aside from few particular cases, is however not perfect, an effect that may adversely affect performance. In order to help the design and the tolerancing of these in-terferometers, we have developed a numerical modeling, based on the propagation of plane waves inside and through the interface of birefringent media. This tool evaluates the traveled optical path length and the amplitude of the different polarization modes, enabling to predict both the optical path differences on the interferometer outputs and the unwanted coupling strengths and related stray wave amplitudes. The tool behavior is illustrated on Savart and Double-Wollaston interferometers, and compared with experimental characterization of a calcite Double-Wollaston prism.
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