4.

3 (B) POLARIZATION: CONVERTING ONE POLARIZATION TO

ANOTHER

1.1. AIM
1. Use of waveplates in converting one type of polarization to another.

1.2 PRINCIPLE
A waveplate is an optical instrument that is used to add additional
phase(usually , or /2) to any one of the x or y polarization direction of
electric field.
Therefore a quarter wave plate can convert a linearly polarized light
Ex(0,t)= X0 cos(t+0), Ey(0,t)=Y0 cos(t+0) ,where 0 is the initial phase
to elliptically or circular polarized light (Ex(0,t)= X0 cos(0+/2)
-X0 sin(t+0), E0(y)=Y0 cos(t+0)) and vice versa.
Similarly a half-waveplate can change the direction of linearly polarized
light.

1.3.EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED
Sl. No. Required item Utility
1 Laser Source Light Source
2 Polarizers To Polarize light.
3 Waveplates To convert polarizations of light
4 Photo detectors To measure the intensity of light

Figure 1: (a) Experimental Set-up (b) Free body diagram

1.4. PROCEDURE
Three physical quantities need to be measured in this experiment Intensity of light, Angle of
Polarizer.

Make the following table

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 S.No Physical quantity Measured with Least count
1 Intensity of Light Photo detector
2 Angle Polarizer

A. Converting Linear to Circular Polarizations.

1. Setup the apparatus as shown in the figure.

2. Make the laser beam incident on a polarizer. This gives us a output of linearly
polarized light.
3. This output light should be incident on a Quarter wave plate.
4. Measure the variation of intensity of the transmitted light from a polarizer kept after
the waveplate, and find the output polarization using the previous experimental
procedure.

B. Rotating linearly polarized light:

1. Setup the apparatus as shown in the figure.
2. The laser beam is incident on a polarizer P1 (giving an output of linearly polarized
light)
3. Use a second polarizer P2, and rotate P2 to find the position of minimum intensity for
transmitted light. Note the corresponding angle in P2 , 1.
4. Remove P2 and pass the light through a half waveplate. This will rotate the
polarization of light by some .

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 5. Use the same polarizer, P2 to determine the polarization direction of light (similar to
step 3). Note the angle, 2.
6. The angle by which the half waveplate rotated the polarization direction, =1 -2 .

1.5. TABLES FOR RECORDING

THE DATA 1 Table 1: Intensity of light vs. Angle of Polaroid

Sl. Angle of Poloroid Intensity

No. () (mA/A)

Plot the following Graphs

1. Angle of Polaroid vs. transmitted intensity.

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1.6 STUDY QUESTIONS
1. How to convert a Left circular polarized light to Right circular polarized light?
2. How to convert a light polarized in the x direction to light polarized in y direction?

1.7 FURTHER SCOPE OF EXPERIMENTS

1. Try to find the actual orientation of initial and final polarization in 1.4, B.(Hint: Use
Brewster angle)
2. Try finding the fast axis of a waveplate

1.8 PRECAUTIONS
1. All apparatus should be aligned properly.
2. There should not be any dust on any apparatuses used.

1.9 SOURCES OF ERROR

1. Extinction coefficient of polarizer may be low.
2. Diffraction could cause errors in readings.

1.10 THEORY
A waveplate is an optical device that alters the polarization state of a light
wave travelling through it. Two common types of waveplates are the half-
wave plate, which shifts the polarization direction of linearly polarized
light, and the quarter-wave plate, which converts linearly polarized light
into circularly polarized light and vice versa. A quarter-wave plate can be
used to produce elliptical polarization as well.
Suppose the initial electric field vectors are Ex(0,t)= X0 cos(t+1),
Ey(0,t)=Y0 cos(t+2). If 1= 2= we have linearly polarized light.
If we pass this linearly polarized light through a Quarter wave plate, we
have Ex(0,t)= X0 sin(t+), Ey(0,t)=Y0 cos(t+), i.e., elliptical
polarization. As a special case, is X0=Y0, we have circular polarized light.

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 Figure 1: Converting Linear to Circular Polarization using a Quarter waveplate

If we pass the linearly polarized light through a half wave plate, we have
Ex(0,t)= -X0 cos(t+), Ey(0,t)=Y0 cos(t+), which corresponds to a
rotation by 2 tan-1 (Xo/Yo).

Figure 2: Rotation of light by using a Half Waveplate

FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES

Text books
Eugene Hecht, Optics

Internet
www.physicsclassroom.com

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 Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH58VmUbOKM