Waveplates and Retarders

A waveplate, also known as a retarder, is a tool used in optics that changes the way light waves moving through it are polarized. There are two main kinds of waveplates. The first kind, called a half-wave plate, changes the direction of light that’s polarized in a straight line. The second kind, known as a quarter-wave plate, can change light that’s polarized in a straight line into light that’s polarized in a circle, and can also do the reverse. Additionally, a quarter-wave plate can be used to create a special kind of polarization called elliptical polarization.

A phase retarder is a useful tool for manipulating polarized light by making the optical path length for one of the orthogonal polarizations different than the other. Generally speaking, quarter-wave retarders cause a phase shift in one electric field component which results in circularly polarized light. Half-wave retarders produce a λ/2 phase shift and rotate the polarization of linearly polarized light to twice the angle between the retarder’s fast axis and the plane of polarization. Passing circularly polarized light through a half-wave plate changes the “handedness” of the polarization.

Click the options below for retarders that Meadowlark Optics designs to excel in specific situations. Each product page includes a data sheet and links to more resources. Meadowlark currently offers online shopping in the United States only. We are happy to quote for your unique international location. Have questions? Contact us! We are happy to help!