Lithium niobate is a negative uniaxial crystal with principal indices and at 589 nm

PHYSICS · Multi-part · Fermi University Physics · Optics & Photonics · Polarisation and anisotropic media · Polarisation and anisotropic media

What an Instrument Can See, Ch Anisotropic media: the dielectric tensor and the index ellipsoid

Problem

Lithium niobate is a negative uniaxial crystal with principal indices

n_o = 2.286

and

n_e = 2.200

at 589 nm. A plane wave propagates with its wave vector at

60^\circ

to the optic axis. ((a)) Give the indices of the two propagation eigenmodes for this direction. ((b)) State the polarisation direction of each eigenmode relative to the plane containing

\mathbf{k}

and the optic axis.

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