title: Optical glass wave plates.
abstract: Permanent birefringence in excess of 300 nm/cm can be thermomechanically induced in the borosilicate optical glass ARG-2, making it an attractive alternative to natural crystalline quartz and mica for large-aperture wave-plate requirements in laser systems investigating inertial confinement fusion. The technique for fabricating glass wave plates is presented, including a detailed optical characterization of the uniformity of birefringence induced in glass plates. A comparison with other natural and synthetic candidate materials is made, and production scale-up problems are discussed.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asahara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Izumitani