7-16 I E S LIGHTING HANDBOOK

an elliptical path, so will the knot. The movement of the knot in each case
is in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave.
If a pair of plates pierced by narrow slots, through which the rope is
threaded, is introduced, as in Fig. 7-19(6), and the slots are oriented at
right angles to each other, a most important characteristic of a polarized
wave is revealed: a polarized transmitting plate passes only that component
of
the incident wave that is parallel to its axis
of
polarization. A polarized
light transmitter introduced in a light path will pass only those disturb-
ance components in planes parallel to its axis of polarization.
1 ' 2
Examples
of
polarization. Skylight, particularly from the section oppo-
site the sun, is somewhat polarized. Light from any source specularly
reflected from glossy surfaces, such as glass, glossy paint, varnish, bodies of
water, and so forth, also is partially polarized in a plane parallel to the
reflecting surface. A polarizing transmitting material mounted in sun
glasses with the plane of polarization normal to that of the reflecting sur-
face absorbs the polarized specular reflection, permitting only the com-
ponent of the unpolarized light parallel to the plane of polarization to pass
through.
Desk luminaires emitting polarized light have been produced
7
and it
has been suggested that the glare of automobile headlights may be re-
duced by polarizing their beams and then viewing the oncoming polarized
headlights through a polarizing screen.
8
A screen in front of the driver
with its axis oriented at 90 degrees with the beam would absorb the direct
light of the headlight beam but would permit viewing the road, since pol-
arized light which falls on the road is depolarized by reflection.
Spectral transmission and polarizing characteristics of two polarizers are
given in Fig. 7-20.
Polarization may occur when light is reflected. For certain angles of incidence,
polarization by reflection at surfaces of transmitting mediums may be nearly com-
plete. This may be explained as follows:
In Fig. 7-21 nonpolarized radiation is incident on the glass at P. Since light is a
<40
4
5T
POLV\RIZATION
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\
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,
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/
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1
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1
y
b
:
tET
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TRAf-JSMITTANC;e
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-1 1.00
0.96 cc
0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.76
WAVELENGTH IN MICRONS
FIG. 7-20. Characteristics of commer-
cial polarizers: (a) Early type comprised
of iodo-quinine sulphate crystals im-
bedded in a plastic (trade name: Polaroid
J film), (b) Modern polyvinyl alcohol
molecular polarizer (trade name: Polar-
oid H film).
POLARIZATION
COMPONENT:
f
IN PLANE OF PAPER
PERPENDICULAR TO
PLANE OF PAPER
FIG. 7-21. Polarization by re-
flection at a glass-air surface is
at a maximum when the sum of
the angle of incidence i plus the
angle of refraction r equals 90
degrees. (See text.)