Polarization Control and Measurement—What Tools are Used and How Are They Made?
This webinar is hosted By: Polarization Management and Propagation Technical Group
14 October 2026 9:00 - 10:00
Eastern Daylight/Summer Time (US & Canada) (UTC -04:00)
Controlling polarization enables control of intensity, direction and even spectral distribution of a light beam. We will discuss the mechanisms and tools for these functions as well as how they are made and the limitations we must accept in their performance. These limitations result from materials characteristics as well as manufacturing tolerance limitations. As a manufacturer of polarization optics we have a good knowledge of these limitations.
An exciting development is the use of liquid crystals in polarization control. We will describe the ways in which they are used for both low voltage polarization control and polarimetry. Both liquid crystals and polymers are relatively new tools for polarization control in precision optics. They open up new possibilities for spatially distributed phase control as well and we will describe as well the applications to quantum computing and to optogenentics research.
Subject Matter Level: Introductory - Assumes little previous knowledge of the topic
What You Will Learn:
- How to select the best tools for polarization control and metrology
- How research and industry use polarization optics
- Learn about the new polarization tools not in your textbook
Who Should Attend:
- Laser users
- System designers where light is involved
About the Presenter: Tom Baur from Meadowlark Optics
Tom is the founder and Chairman of the Board of Meadowlark Optics, a manufacturer of precision optics for polarization control and related components and systems. Tom's professional journey includes stints as an observational astronomer, a cattle rancher, a land developer, and, for the past 47 years, the founder and chief scientist at Meadowlark Optics. He was voted the Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern Colorado in 2005. He is the past vice president of the Crow Valley Grazing Association on the Pawnee National Grassland (2002-2015). He is the 2018 winner of the SPIE GG Stokes award for advancements in polarization and is a Fellow of SPIE.
