Patent ID: 8891060

Claim:
An optical system, comprising: a polarization-influencing optical arrangement, wherein the polarization-influencing optical arrangement comprises: at least one polarization-influencing optical element which consists of an optically active material with an optical crystal axis and has a thickness profile that varies in the direction of this optical crystal axis, the optical system being configured so that during use of the optical system light propagates within the polarization-influencing optical element along the optical crystal axis; at least one lambda/2 plate; at least one rotator which causes a rotation of the polarization direction of light incident on the rotator about a constant polarization rotation angle, the rotator comprising an element selected from the group consisting of: a) an optically active material that has an optical crystal axis extending parallel to an optical axis of the system; and b) two lambda/2 plates; and an actuator apparatus, by which the at least one lambda/2 plate and the at least one rotator can be moved independently of one another between a position within the optical beam path and a position outside of the optical beam path.