Evaluation of Polarization Angle Rotation of Propagating Light in a Partially Ionized Atmosphere under Discharge Conditions

Abstract

The polarization angle rotation of the propagating beam was estimated in a partially ionized atmosphere under discharge conditions. The polarization plane angle rotation is caused by the magneto-optical effect; Faraday effect. The estimated rotation angle is of the order of < 1 degree, but can be detected with an extinction ratio of polarization of >30dB. We examined the effects of the optical path length of repeating square mirror optics and an air-gap length of the discharge on the rotation angle.