Polarization of light

Books:

OPTICS

by E Hecht

OPTICS

by A Ghatak
by Max Born & Emil Wolf

Principles of Optics

x(z,t) = a cos(kz-t+1)

displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave Transverse

Light wave

Transverse Electromagnetic wave

We will deal with electric field vector E only

Ex = E0x Cos (kzt)

Natural Sunlight

Direction of propagation of wave

Polarization is a characteristic of all transverse waves.

Oscillation which take places in a transverse wave in many different directions is said to be unpolarized.

Polarized light

A specific orientation of electric field Linear (or plane) polarized

Electric field may oscillate in one direction

Vertical

Horizontal

Polarized light

A specific orientation of electric field Circularly polarized

Electric field may rotate circularly

Production of polarized light

polarizer
Input is natural light , output is some form of polarized light The Wire grid Polarizer:

Grid of parallel conductor Spacing should be

So it is difficult to construct a wire grid polarizer

1960 - Bird and Parrish constructed a grid having 2160 wires/mm
Polarization of light by selective absorption ----------- Dichroism

Instead of wire one can use long chain polymer

Eg. PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol)

PVA is an insulator

Required doping

An electric field E that oscillates parallel to the long molecules can set electrons into motion along the molecules, thus doing work on them and transferring energy. Hence, E gets absorbed.

An electric field E perpendicular to the long molecules does not have this possibility of doing work and transferring its energy, and so passes through freely.

When we speak of the axis of a Polaroid, we mean the direction which E is passed, so a polarizing axis is perpendicular to the long molecules.

Detector can measure only irradiance I()

I() is proportional to square of amplitude of electric field

I() = E12cos2

Maluss Law

Polarization by Scattering When light interacts with systems of much smaller sizes (atoms and molecules): Scattering: it wiggles the charges which in turn radiate light.
Rayleigh Scattering ?

Why the Sky is Blue?

What is the color of smoke from the end of a cigarette and exhaled smoke?

The electric field in the beam of sunlight sets the electric charges in the molecule into vibration.

The molecule reemits the light because the charges are oscillating. But an oscillating charge does not radiate in the direction of its oscillation so it does not send any light to the observer directly below it.

Light propagating in the z-direction has polarization in the XY plane. When scattered along the Y-direction, it must be polarized in the X direction.

Polarization by reflection: Unpolarized light can be polarized, either partially or completely, by reflection.

Brewsters law

It is found that experimentally when the reflected ray is perpendicular to the refracted ray, the reflected light will be completely plane-polarized

Inciden t ray

Reflected ray

p p

90
r

n1
n2

Polarizing angle (Brewsters angle)

The angle of incidence at which the reflected light is completely plane-polarized is called the polarizing angle (or Brewsters angle). By Snells law, n1 sin p n2 sin r Since p r 90 and
sin r sin(90o p ) cos p

Then we get

n2 tan p n1

Superposition of two disturbances

Ex = Ax Cos (kzt) Ey = Ay Cos (kzt+) j^

Linearly polarized EM waves propagating along Z direction

State of polarization of the resultant will depend on

Relative phase

Relative sizes of Ax and Ay Ex= Ax Cos (kzt) Ey = Ay Cos (kzt+)

Case I : = n

Ex= Ax Cos (kzt) Ey = Ay Cos (kzt)

Y
n = 0 or even

Ey=(Ay/Ax) Ex Y n is odd Ey=-(Ay/Ax) Ex

Case II : = (n+1/2) and Ax=Ay (=A)

Ex= A cos (kzt) Ey = A sin (kzt)

Ex2 + Ey2 = A2
n = 0 or even

RCP

n is odd

LCP

Case III : n and AxAy

Elliptically polarized

Birefringence Optically anisotropic crystals

Mechanical model:
the

crystal is anisotropic, which means that the electrons are bound with different springs depending on the orientation different spring constants gives different propagation speeds, therefore different indices of refraction, therefore 2 output beams

The materials which displays two different indices of refraction is called Birefringent

Negative uniaxial --------- ne-no is negative

isotropic crystal (sodium chloride)

anisotropic crystal (calcite)

The 2 output beams are polarized (orthogonally).

A RIGHT-handed/clockwise circularly polarized wave as defined from the point of view of the SOURCE.

A LEFT-handed/clockwise circularly polarized wave as defined from the point of view of the SOURCE.

A beam of unpolarized light can be thought of as containing a uniform mixture of linear polarizations at all possible angles. Since the average value of is 1/2, the transmission coefficient becomes