 For "n"e > "n"o the situation is reversed.Depending on the thickness of the crystal, light with polarization components along both axes will emerge in a different polarization state.The waveplate is characterized by the amount of relative phase, Γ, that it imparts on the two components, which is related to the birefringence Δ"n" and the thickness "L" of the crystal by the formula

where λ0 is the vacuum wavelength of the light.