Interfering with Interference: a Pancharatnam Phase Polarimeter

Abstract

A simple variation of the traditional Young's double slit experiment can demonstrate several subtleties of interference with polarized light, including Berry and Pancharatnam's phase. Since the position of the fringes depends on the polarization state of the light at the input, the apparatus can also be used to measure the light's polarization without a quarter-wave plate or an accurate measurement of the light's intensity. In principle this technique can be used for any wavelength of photon as long as one can effectively polarize the incoming radiation.