Motion-picture recording of polarized light propagating in optical medium

We propose a technique to simultaneously record two motion pictures of two linearly-polarized light of a light pulse propagating inside an optical medium. The technique employs light-in-flight recording by holography to record motion picture of light propagation. To record two linearly-polarized light simultaneously, the reference wave is horizontally divided into two segments. Each segment assigned for each direction of linearly-polarized light of the reference wave. To demonstrate the proposed technique, an optical system for light-in-flight recording by holography using a femtosecond pulsed laser was constructed and the system was applied to two objects. A calcite was set for one object to record the dynamic behavior of birefringence. Two motion pictures of the two linearly-polarized light propagating in the calcite were successfully observed. Starch syrup set in a transparent container was set for the other object to record the dynamic behavior of optical rotation. Two motion pictures of the two linearly-polarized light propagating in the starch syrup were successfully observed. Also, intensity changes of reconstructed images of polarized light beams accompanying with the propagations of each linearly-polarized light, which are due to optical rotation, was observed. Thus, the validity of the proposed technique was confirmed.