Abstract: A magneto optical head assembly combining a single high extinction polarizing beam splitter utilized to separate and analyze a light beam, a pair of half-wave plates, each having a fast axis with respect to the polarization direction of light transmitted through the head assembly, with the angle of the fast axis of one of the half-wave plates preferably being equal but opposite that of the angle of the fast axis of the remaining half-wave plate. The light beam is transmitted through the head assembly polarizing beam splitter to be polarized with one half of the transmitted polarized light passing through one of the half-wave plates and the remaining half of the transmitted polarized light passing through the other half-wave plate. The portion of the transmitted polarized light which passes through each half-wave plate is rotated about the fast axis of each plate and focused upon a point on a magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: An optical assembly incorporating a wedge-shaped optically transparent prism, a 45 degree right isosceles triangular prism which has two thin film coated surfaces, a rhomboidal prism attached to the triangular prism, a second, smaller 45 degree right isosceles triangular prism attached to one end face of the rhomboidal prism and two planoconvex lenses attached to the combination of the rhomboidal and second triangular prisms is mounted within a housing. All of the optical components are cemented to the adjacent component utilizing a transparent optical cement to form an integral unit.