Group refractive index and group velocity dispersion measurement by complex master slave interferometry

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Spectral domain interferometry (SDI) is a key technique for optical measurements.
• Accurate characterization of refractive index and group velocity dispersion is crucial for optical materials.
• Existing methods for dispersion measurement may require data linearization, potentially introducing errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the efficacy of the complex master slave interferometry (CMSI) method for precise refractive index and group velocity dispersion measurements.
• To highlight the novel use of phase information from CMSI for dispersion analysis without linearization.
• To validate the technique's robustness across samples with varying dispersive properties.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of the complex master slave interferometry (CMSI) within a spectral domain interferometry (SDI) setup.
• Utilizing the phase information derived from CMSI for dispersion calculations.
• Measurement of group refractive index and group velocity dispersion on SF6 glass and distilled water samples.

Main Results:

• Accurate determination of refractive index and group velocity dispersion for both strong (SF6 glass) and weak (distilled water) dispersive samples.
• Successful application of CMSI phase information for dispersion evaluation, eliminating the need for data linearization.
• Demonstration of the technique's robustness through analysis of multiple experimental datasets.

Conclusions:

• The CMSI method is an efficient and accurate technique for measuring refractive index and group velocity dispersion in optically transparent materials.
• Leveraging CMSI's phase information offers a significant advancement for dispersion evaluations, simplifying the process by avoiding data linearization.
• The validated robustness of this method makes it a valuable tool for optical characterization.