What Does Optical Isolator Mean?
An optical isolator is a passive magneto-optic device that makes travel of light unidirectionally. The operation of the device is based on the Faraday effect. It is used in applications to avoid unwanted feedback to the system using the optical isolator.
Techopedia Explains Optical Isolator
An optical isolator is comprised of a Faraday rotator with magnet, input polarizer and output polarizer. The input polarizer is arranged to act as a filter and only allows linearly polarized light into the rotator. The rotator then rotates the polarization of the input light by 45 degrees and is allowed to exit through the output polarizer. In this manner, energy is either absorbed or reflected depending on the polarizer type. Optical isolators are available with high power and low-power polarizers.
