This Research Planning Grant will allow the principal investigator to carry out optical activity measurements of selected inorganic and organic solids. The materials include tellurium dioxide (TeO2), used in optical holographs and as an acousto-optic light deflector, and the complex bismuth silicate, Bi12SiO20, which is a photo-refractive material. The work will extend optical activity measurements into the infrared region, to wavelengths of 3.39 um and will also include new measurements at temperatures to 70 K. These investigations will provide new data which will test extant theories for optical activity in these materials.
