Ultimate resolution of a polarizing interferometer and measurement of the radius of curvature of the phase front of laser beams

The question of ultimate resolution of a polarizing interferometer in measurement of the correlation radius is investigated theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that the resolution is limited by diffraction and, in the experiment in question, it amounts to ~10μ at a wavelength of 0.63μ. A demonstration is reported of the possibility of measuring the radius of curvature of the phase front of light beams by a polarizing interferometer.