| Definition: | optical device that modifies a beam of optical radiation to produce a beam of unpolarized radiation irrespective of the state of polarization of the incident radiation Note 1 to entry: No simple and completely satisfactory way of depolarizing a beam of radiation is known. The methods employed usually produce a large variety of polarization states with respect to time, wavelength or the aperture of the beam. Devices functioning on this principle are usually known as pseudo-depolarizers.
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