Re: polarizing microscope for the refractive index calculation

For a fuller discussion of retardation measurements, see

http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/lightandcolor/birefringenceintro.html

Also, my reference to a Michelson-Levy chart is wrong.  It is a
Michael-Levy chart.  sorry for the error.. 

Aaron 



On 1 Dec 2003 08:01:50 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (tzavalas) wrote:

>Hello everybody, i´m spiros from greece.
>
>I´m taking a course on polymer science and recently I heard that the
>non-isotropic substances are not bound to have the same rerfactive
>index on all directions. So in the most general case every a sample
>bears 2 vertical and one parallel reflactive index. The parallel or
>vertical dirctions are regarded in relation to an axis of orientation
>of specific groups, like liquid crystals, polymer chains, fibres or
>even bonds between atoms etc(which are in the sample and whose
>"preference" for a direction is what causes the sample to be
>"non-isotropic.")
>
>So  in my case, where I have a stretched polymer film, I guess the
>same thing is taking place. I know that I can use a polarizing
>microscope to calculate the values of the refractive index as the
>incident (planar-polarized) on the sample light rotates.
>
>BUT I DONT KNOW HOW?????????????
>
>thanks in advance, spiros tzavalas.