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Brewster angle refractometer

  • US 5,572,314 A
  • Filed: 09/19/1994
  • Issued: 11/05/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A Brewster angle refractometer for determining the refractive index of a material, comprising:

  • a light source providing an incident optical beam for illuminating a surface of said material, said light source being attached to one end of a bridging section for positioning said light source and said incident optical beam at an adjustable angle relative to the normal vector of said surface, said incident optical beam having a polarized component in a direction substantially parallel to a plane containing said incident optical beam and a second reflected beam,a photosensitive detector for receiving said reflected beam, said detector generating a light-induced signal which varies according to the intensity of said reflected beam,a gear for varying said angle of said incident optical beam, said gear attached in a fixed relationship to said bridging section at an end opposite to said light source and configured such that said incident optical beam is pivoted about a point on said surface of said material during rotation of said gear, thereby varying said angle of said incident optical beam,a worm gear engaged with said gear such that when rotated, said worm gear rotates said gear,an electronic circuit for powering said light source and said photosensitive detector, and for electrically amplifying said light-induced signal from said photosensitive detector,a readout element connected to said electronic circuit for determination of a null in said light-induced signal, said null occurring when said angle of said incident optical beam is substantially equivalent to the Brewster angle for said material, anda calibrated knob attached directly to said worm gear, said knob comprising a set of calibrated markings correlating to the refractive index of the material such that when rotated, said knob pivots said bridging section to adjust the angle of said incident optical beam to determine mechanically the null in the light-induced signal, with a calibrated marking within said set corresponding to the refractive index of the material when the null in said light-induced signal is determined, thereby allowing determination of said refractive index of said material.

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