| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical circulator of a small size and low cost, which allows the application of thin double refractive crystals by decreasing as far as possible the component sections divided in a light progression direction. SOLUTION: This optical circulator is constituted by disposing the double refractive crystals 1 and 2 as double refractive elements, which are constituted by combining optical elements of parallel flat plates with each other and are substantially perpendicular in the polarized light separation directions to each other, with respect to the light progression direction which is one direction when viewed from one of 3 or more light incident and exit ports, a non- reciprocal polarization plane rotating element 7, which consists of at least one sheet not dependent upon the light progression direction, a reciprocal polarization plane rotating element 9 which consists of at least one sheet dependent upon the light progression direction, double refractive crystals 3 and 4 which are bisected with respect to the light progression direction, a non-reciprocal polarization plane rotating element 8, which consists of at least one sheet not dependent upon the light progression direction and is joined with a pair in such a manner that the polarized light separation directions are opposite to each other, with respect to the light progression direction and the double refractive crystals 5 and 6, which are nearly perpendicular to each other in the polarized light separation directions with respect to the light progression direction in this order.
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