Birefringence in porous anodic aluminum oxide

Birefringence properties of a disordered two-dimensional photonic crystal are demonstrated experimentally for the first time. It is proposed to use porous anodic aluminum oxide. which has anisotropy on the scale of the wavelength of light, as a new birefringent material in the optical range. An original method for studying the birefringence properties of two-dimensional photonic crystals based on the use of monochromatic light is described. (C) 2004 MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica.