We have to find the greatest number of quarter-wave plates, to be used with the light of wavelength 488 nm, which could be cut from a dolomite crystal 0.250 mm thick.
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Solution: Click For PDF Version For a dolomite crystal the refractive indices for the ordinary and the extraordinary rays are
and
 ,
respectively.
As we want to
cut greatest number of quarter-wave plates from the given thickness
of the crystal, we will determine the minimum thickness of the
crystal which will produce a phase difference of
We thus have the following equation from which x can be found:
Therefore, the greatest number of quarter-wave plates that can be cut from a dolomite crystal of thickness 0.250 nm will be
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in a linearly polarized ray after it has passed through the crystal.
We assume that the faces of the crystal are parallel to the optic
axis. Let x be the
thickness of the crystal which will result in a phase difference of
