Polarimetric microscope in reflection for the measurement of the refractive index and associated optical method

The goal of the current invention is a polarimetric microscope working in reflection for the measurement of the refractive index of materials, including both isotropic and uniaxial anisotropic materials, in liquid and solid phases, and in the latter case, measuring both planar and non-planar surfaces. The polarimetric microscope allows measuring the refractive index of optical elements already integrated into devices (as lenses integrated into cameras), and thus, elements that can not be measured in transmission. The associated optical method is also subject of the current invention. It permits, thorough a comparison of experimental data with a theoretical optical model developed by the inventors, the characterization of the optical characteristics of those elements, as their refractive index, the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of uniaxial anisotropic materials, or its optical axis orientation. For the accurate and precise measure of the refraction index, the microscope includes confocal measurements.