Laser intensity modulation method (LIMM): Review of the fundamentals and a new method for data analysis

The Laser Intensity Modulation Method (LIMM) is widely used for the determination of the spatial distribution of polarization in ceramics, single crystals and polymers. A brief history of the origin and development of LIMM during the past 20 years is presented. The experimental technique and the derivation of the LIMM equation are described. The data analysis requires the numerical solution of a Fredholm integral equation of the 1st kind. This is an ill-posed problem that has multiple and very different solutions. In this paper, a new technique is proposed that gives the polarization distribution in the form of a special 8th-degree polynomial. Both simulated and experimental data are analyzed with the new technique.