Аннотация:A simple method for determining the fast axis of quarter-wave plates, based on the registration of surface photocurrents arising in film structures, which depend on the direction of rotation of the electric field vector of the incident pulsed laser radiation. For the polarization-sensitive film structures, one can use silverpalladium (Ag/Pd) nanocomposite films made by thick-film technology, as well as thin nanocomposite CuSe/Se films synthesized by vacuum thermal deposition. The developed method allows one to quickly determine the fast axis of quarter-wave plates operating in a wide wavelength range from 266 to 4000 nm, without using additional optical devices.