| The Nicol prism has two birefringent prisms and, attached together by a transparent adhesive substance such as Canada Balsam cement, which forms the polarizing interface. |
| In traditional polarization microscopy and orientational spectroscopy, several techniques have been used to determine birefringent and dichroic properties. |
| These aggregates scatter light, however, due to their amorphous nature, and would not be spherulitic or birefringent. |
| When polarization is a concern, linear and birefringent polarizers can be used to remove, reflect, or refract one of the polarization components. |
| The result is a transparent birefringent crystal, known as a Nicol prism, which effective separates polarized light at the interface between the two crystal halves. |
| It allows visualizing the optical axes of a birefringent and transparent mineral. |
