Abstract: An apparatus has been developed to experimentally determine the state and amount of birefringence in an arbitrary plane within a birefringent body using an entirely new method. Such information can be used to determine the optical anisotropy in solid and liquid bodies, residual and induced stress fields, etc. This apparatus uses a collimated and polarized light beam which scans linearly the plane of measurement within a transparent birefringent or photoelastic object, and a device which collects particular sheets of light scattered along the path of the light beam, the intensity of which is directly related to the state of birefringence at each scattering point at the plane of measurement within the birefringent body. An imaging device produces in the image plane of the apparatus the lines of constant light intensities which are the lines of constant values of accumulated birefringence.

Abstract: A new method and device has been developed to determine experimentally the state and amount of birefringence along any arbitrary direction through a birefringent body. Such information can be used to determine the optical anisotropy of solid and liquid bodies, the residual and induced stress fields, etc. Essentially, this method and device separates, from the light scattered in all directions along an arbitrary path of laser light in a body, three sheets of light which are subsequently collimated; each of these light sheets contains parallel light rays carrying information of interest. The middle light sheet indicates the line of measurements, which is identical with the path or position of laser beam in a body. The two outer light sheets carry two complementary and independent pieces of information on the state and amount of birefringence along the line of measurements. Thus, both outer sheets of light can be used simultaneously to increase the reliability and accuracy of the birefringence measurements.