Abstract
Discovered in 1813, the conoscopic interference pattern observed due to light propagating through a crystal, kept between crossed polarizers, shows isochromates and isogyres, respectively containing information about the dynamic and geometric phase acquired by the beam. We propose and demonstrate a closed-fringe Fourier analysis method to disentangle the isogyres from the isochromates, leading us to the azimuthally varying geometric phase and its manifestation as isogyres. This azimuthally varying geometric phase is shown to be the underlying mechanism for the spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion observed in a diverging optical field propagating through a z-cut uniaxial crystal. We extend the formalism to study the optical activity mediated uniaxial-to-biaxial transformation due to a weak transverse electric field applied across the crystal. Closely associated with the phase and polarization singularities of the optical field, the formalism enables us to understand crystal optics in a new way, paving the way to anticipate several emerging phenomena.