Method for systematically designing polarization optics to maximize sensitivity of electrooptic sensors

A systematic design method is considered for maximizing the sensitivity of electrooptic sensors used for electric-field detection. The design method can be reduced to a routine procedure that includes matrix manipulation and differentiation. By applying the design method, the maximum sensitivity is realized with fewer optical components than in conventional electrooptic sensing systems. Since the proposed method shows a wide generality, it can be applied to designing sensors including various optical crystals.