Optical interrogator for measuring polarization properties

US10627341B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America, as represented by Secretary of the Navy · US

Inventors

• David Wayne · Watsonville, US
• Burton H. Neuner, III · San Diego, US
• Peter M. Poirier · San Diego, US
• Michael G. Lovern · Chula Vista, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 25, 2019
• Grant date: Apr 21, 2020
• Expiry date: Feb 25, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2201/0697
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical interrogator for illuminating an object comprising a laser, a splitter, an optical polarizing element, and an optical recombiner. The laser is configured to generate a laser pulse, which the splitter splits into first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth laser segments such that each of the laser segments are separated by a time delay on the order of nanoseconds between each laser segment. The optical polarizing element is positioned so as to respectively polarize the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth laser segments with a 0° linear polarization, a 45° linear polarization, a 90° linear polarization, a 135° linear polarization, a right-handed, circular polarization (RHCP), and a left-handed, circular polarization (LHCP). The optical recombiner combines the polarized laser segments into a train of co-aligned pulses for illuminating the object.