Radiation Induced Polarization Changes In Photonic Devices

Radiation induced changes to the polarization states of light propagating in various photonic devices have been observed. This paper reports on the nature of the polarization changes in one particular photonic device -- the acousto optic Bragg cell. A short description of the detection methodology used to quantify transient changes to the polarization states and to the degree of polarization in tellurium dioxide and gallium phosphide Bragg cells are presented. A discussion of the Stokes parameter analysis used to interpret the data is also presented.