Abstract
We propose and demonstrate a liquid-crystal (LC)-based Fourier optical spectrum analyzer (FOSA). The FOSA consists of a birefringent filter array with an embedded LC phase modulator. The LC phase modulator is used to control the phase difference between two orthogonally polarized beams to avoid mechanical movement in conventional Fourier transform spectrometers. The detailed operation principle of this FOSA is described. A single-LC-based 6-stage FOSA is experimentally demonstrated, and the results obtained using such a FOSA show good agreement with the results measured using a reference spectrometer.
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