Achromatic linear retarder with tunable retardance.

We present a universal design and proof-of-concept of a tunable linear retarder of uniform wavelength response in a broad spectral range. It consists of two half-wave retarders (HWR) between two quarter-wave retarders (QWRs), where the uniform retardance can be tuned continuously by simply rotating one of the HWRs. A proof-of-concept of this design is built by using commercially available Fresnel rhomb retarders that provide retardation with almost wavelength uniformity in the visible and near infrared from 450 to 1550 nm. The design is universal, since other achromatic QWRs and HWRs could also be employed. The system is experimentally demonstrated to control the state of polarization of a supercontinuum laser.