| 摘要 |
A fiber optic polarizer includes a length of fiber optic material (12) from which a portion of the ciadding has been removed to form an interaction region. The fiber is held adjacent a coupling material (26) that is circulary birefringent or both circularly and linearly birefringent along different axes to permit the evanescent field of light propagating in the fiber (12) to interact with the material. Light of an elliptical polarization which propagates slower in the coupling material (16) than in the fiber (12) will be radiated from the fiber into the coupling material by evanescent coupling. Light that propagates slower in the fiber remains in the fiber is highly elliptically polarized in a predetermined direction. The ellipticity of the desired elliptical polarization may be controlled by controlling the direction of the optic axis relative to the axes of linear and circular birefringence. |
