User:Rmelich/Wood birefringent filter

Wood birefringent filter


Wood birefringent filter consists of two polarizers and a crystalline quartz waveplate cut parallel with crystal axis. It is suitable as a separator of two near spectral lines, for example by the Sodium discharge lamp, which radiates as a line doublet at 5890 and 5896 Å. Rotation of one polarizer from parallel to crossed position changes the transmitted wavelength. The thickness of the plate depends on wavelengths we want to separate. For already given example of Sodium doublet it gives the thickness of approximately 31.8 mm (depends also on operated temperature).

--Rmelich (talk) 18:31, 9 December 2010 (UTC)