The simulator shows how applying a voltage across a non-centrosymmetric crystal such as lithium niobate or KDP induces a field-proportional birefringence, how that birefringence produces a controllable phase retardation between polarization components, and how combining the crystal with polarizers converts this retardation into a measurable, voltage-tunable transmitted intensity, including the half-wave voltage switching point and a demonstration of Q-switched pulse buildup.
Select a crystal type to set its electro-optic coefficient and refractive indices, then adjust the applied voltage slider to watch the induced retardation and transmitted intensity update in real time. Change the crystal length to see how it affects the half-wave voltage. Switch to Q-switch mode and trigger a voltage step to observe simulated cavity buildup and giant pulse formation, and compare the electronic switching speed against a simulated mechanical shutter to see the nanosecond-versus-millisecond contrast.
Controls include a crystal type selector (lithium niobate, KDP, and others), an applied voltage slider, a crystal length adjustment, a polarizer/analyzer angle setting, and a Q-switch trigger button, with live readouts of induced retardation, transmitted intensity, half-wave voltage, and switching response time.
Friedrich Pockels discovered this linear electro-optic effect in 1893 while studying quartz, decades before lasers existed to make full use of it; the effect only found its major technological applications once fast, high-power lasers needed nanosecond-scale optical switches, turning a nineteenth-century crystallography curiosity into an essential component of modern photonics.
The simulator shows how applying a voltage across a non-centrosymmetric crystal such as lithium niobate or KDP induces a field-proportional birefringence, how that birefringence produces a controllable phase retardation between polarization components, and how combining the crystal with polarizers converts this retardation into a measurable, voltage-tunable transmitted intensity, including the half-wave voltage switching point and a demonstration of Q-switched pulse buildup.
The simulator shows how applying a voltage across a non-centrosymmetric crystal such as lithium niobate or KDP induces a field-proportional birefringence, how that birefringence produces a controllable phase retardation between polarization components, and how combining the crystal with polarizers converts this retardation into a measurable, voltage-tunable transmitted intensity, including the half-wave voltage switching point and a demonstration of Q-switched pulse buildup.
Select a crystal type to set its electro-optic coefficient and refractive indices, then adjust the applied voltage slider to watch the induced retardation and transmitted intensity update in real time. Change the crystal length to see how it affects the half-wave voltage. Switch to Q-switch mode and trigger a voltage step to observe simulated cavity buildup and giant pulse formation, and compare the electronic switching speed against a simulated mechanical shutter to see the nanosecond-versus-millisecond contrast.
Friedrich Pockels discovered this linear electro-optic effect in 1893 while studying quartz, decades before lasers existed to make full use of it; the effect only found its major technological applications once fast, high-power lasers needed nanosecond-scale optical switches, turning a nineteenth-century crystallography curiosity into an essential component of modern photonics.