Polarization optimization in an out-of-plane pulse compressor

Out-of-plane pulse compression gratings are shown to act as elliptical polarizers, producing a specific output polarization state that is only partially dependent on the input polarization. A general expression for the diffraction efficiency of arbitrarily polarized incident light is derived and used to show that for common compressor designs with out-of-plane deviation angles up to 30°, diffraction efficiency for all gratings can be consistently high provided the proper input polarization state is used. Application of this dependance for intentionally producing elliptically or circularly polarized short-pulse beams is considered.