Terahertz achromatic quarter-wave plate

Phase retarders usually present a strong frequency dependence. We discuss the design and characterization of a terahertz achromatic quarter-wave plate. This wave plate is made from six birefringent quartz plates precisely designed and stacked together. Phase retardation has been measured over the whole terahertz range by terahertz polarimetry. This achromatic wave plate demonstrates a huge frequency bandwidth (nu(max)/nu(min) approximate to 7), and therefore can be applied to terahertz time domain spectroscopy and polarimetry. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.