Electrooptical parameters of uniaxial crystals

Abstract

For the linear effect in classes 4, ¯4, 4∶2, 4 · m, 6, 6∶2, and 6 m, one of the optic axes always coincides with the high-order symmetry axis c when the electric field e lies in a plane perpendicular to that axis, while the other describes a circular cone around c as e rotates in that plane. The same rotation in classes 3, 3∶2, 3 · m, 3 ∶ m, and m · 3 ∶ m causes both optic axes to deviate from c to opposite sides by equal angles, both describing circular cones. One of the optic axes always coincides with c for any direction of e in classes 4∶2 and 6∶2, while the other axis describes an elliptic cone around c as e rotates in a plane inclined to c. Both optic axes describe an elliptic cone in classes 3 ∶ m, 3∶2, and m · 3 ∶ m.