Optical activity — UPSC Physics Optional CSE 1993 Paper I

Give an account of the origin of optical activity in eqartz crystal. A wafer of crystalline eqartz of thickness. 2.945 \times 10^{-5}\text{ m} is used to change a beam of linearly polarised light (\lambda = 589\text{ nm}) into circularly polarised light. Find the difference in refractive index for the two waves in the crystal, assuming this to be minimum thickness that will produce the effect.