Summary The Calbuco volcano eruption in southern Chile (April 22–23, 2015) injected volcanic aerosols into the atmosphere, forming distinct stratospheric aerosol layers observed over South Australia and Tasmania. Using lidar measurements, atmospheric trajectory modeling, and satellite data (CALIOP & OMPS), researchers confirmed that these layers originated from Calbuco. Key findings
Summary Meadowlark Optics has been a leader in nematic liquid crystal (LC) devices for over 25 years, pioneering liquid crystal variable retarders (LCVRs) for precision optical applications. LCVRs offer low-voltage electrical control of retardance (typically ≤20V) and have largely replaced high-voltage Pockels cells in many applications. However, Twisted Nematic (TN)
Summary Because the human eye is insensitive to polarization, valuable optical information often goes unnoticed. However, polarimetry—the measurement of a light wave’s polarization state—is crucial in fields such as biology, chemistry, astronomy, and remote sensing. This paper explores methods for accurately determining the retardance value and fast axis position of
Summary While liquid crystal technology is widely known for display applications, its role in scientific and engineering fields is rapidly expanding. Liquid crystal devices (LCDs) are now critical for beam steering, wavefront modulation, and polarization switching in precision optical systems. Unlike traditional flat-panel displays, high-performance liquid crystal optics require specialized
Summary Precise polarization rotation with minimal polarization purity loss is essential for optical switching, polarimetry, and microscopy. Traditional liquid crystal (LC) polarization rotators enable non-mechanical tuning, but their performance is limited to specific wavelengths. Ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) devices, however, offer faster response times and can switch between two orthogonal
Meadowlark Optics Download the LCPG App Note Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings (LCPGs) This application note describes the use of Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings (LCPGs) in aerospace, automotive, manufacturing & automation, telecommunications, and wind power generation industries. LCPGs are nonmechanically reconfigurable optics with vastly superior size, weight, and power requirements compared
Meadowlark Optics DOWNLOAD PRINCIPLES Liquid Crystal Variable Retarders are solid state, real-time, continuously tunable waveplates. Nematic liquid crystals are birefringent materials whose effective birefringence can be changed by varying an applied voltage. Meadowlark Optics Liquid Crystal Retarders are constructed using precision polished, optically flat fused silica windows spaced a few
Download PDF Fundamentals Liquid crystal polarization gratings (PGs) are fascinating optical components that differ from traditional diffraction gratings, like ruled, Bragg, or holographic gratings. In particular, PGs exhibit polarization sensitivity, can have diffraction efficiency approaching 100%, and are much less sensitive to incident angle than, for example, Bragg or volume
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Geometric-phase microscopy (GPM) uses changes in the phase of light passing through biological specimens to yield high-resolution and high-contrast images, instead of relying on the attenuation of light used conventionally. Polarization optics and a spatial light modulator generate spatially variant polarization states of light that interact with the sample, creating
Summary Historically, high-quality polarizers like Glan-Thompson types made from calcite have delivered exceptional extinction ratios but come with drawbacks such as small apertures, limited angular fields, and high cost due to the scarcity of optical-grade calcite. Dichroic sheet polarizers are now more common, offering large apertures and wide viewing angles,
