A.P.

Pylaev
Snezhinsk Physic-Technical Institute
(Russia, Snezhinsk)
Light polarization and the Brewster law

Abstract
On basis of the corpuscular nature of light it was analytically found the de-
pendance of the intensity of the polarized beam of light reflected from the boundary
of two transparent bodies on the angle of incidence expressing the Brewster law. It
was found on the basis of the principle for determination of the intensity of light
beams passing to the definite directions in transparent bodies. It was revealed that the
light polarization phenomena need to consider using the corpuscular point of view
upon light.
Keywords: light beam, photons, corpuscular nature of light, reflection and re-
fraction of light, area of polarization.
Introduction
As it is known, M. Planck and A. Einstein correspondingly explained the re-
sults of experiments on the black body radiation and the photoeffect phenomenon on
the basis of corpuscular nature of light in the form of light quanta, or photons [1,2].
On the same basis in the present work it is considered the law experimentally estab-
lished by Brewster in 1815 [3]. By this law it was established that the intensity and
polarization of the reflected from the boundary of two transparent bodies light beam
increase with increasing of the angle of incidence, achieve the maximum values and
then decrease.
Here the light flux is considered as a flux of photons irradiated by excited at-
oms of matter. It was based on the equations established by J. Maxwell for the plane
electromagnetic wave [4]. These equations for vacuum have the view:

where E and H – vectors of intensities correspondingly of electrical and magnetic

fields of the wave which are perpendicular to each other and to the direction of the
wave propagating, x – an axis of the rectangular system of coordinates along which
the wave is propagating, t – time, c – the light velocity. The solutions of these equa-
tions are:

Here E0 and H0 are amplitudes of the intensities of the electric and magnetic fields, 
is the frequency of oscillations,  = c/ is the wave length. Such is the point of view
upon light suggested by J. Maxwell. However, cited above the equations can be con-
sidered as describing propagating a single vibration. Then the value of  is not a
wave length but a distance passed by this vibration at the period of oscillations of its
electromagnetic field. Such vibration represents an electromagnetic particle, i.e. pho-
ton, or quantum of energy  = h, h is Planck's constant. This representation does not
contradict Maxwell’s theory because the train of such vibrations irradiated by any ex-
ited atom in the course of some interval of time represents a wave. Such presentation
corresponds to the real existence of the narrow rays of light. So, a light wave can be
represented as a train of photons whose characteristics are expounded in [5].
Therefore, photons are polar particles which possess a periodic electromagnet-
ic field with an electric E and magnetic H vectors which perform inphase oscillations
in mutually perpendicular directions in the oscillation plane that is perpendicular to
the direction of photons moving. The direction of the electrical vector is accepted for
the direction of the photon polarization.
From the corpuscular point of view the natural light beam is such one that con-
tains photons all possible polarizations. If such beam propagates to a definite direc-
tion then the planes of oscillations of all photons are parallel to each other. If to pro-
ject the electrical vectors all photons on the plane that perpendicular to the propagat-
ing beam direction then the picture will be look as it is shown in fig. 1а, that is the
electrical vectors will fill all the conditional circle. The light beam that contains pho-
tons of a smaller angular area of polarizations will be named polarized.
 Fig 1. Natural (а) and polarized (b) light beams

The polarization of such beam will be measured by the value of the angular area  as
it is shown in fig. 1b. In such terminology the polarization of the nature beam is equal
to 1800. At that the intensities of light beams are proportional to the angular areas of
the photon polarizations.
From the wave point of view the natural light beam is such one that contains
waves all possible polarizations. The polarization of such beam can be represented by
fig. 1а, as well. But in contrast with the corpuscular point of view, the polarization of
the polarized wave beams is considered only as linear (the electrical vectors of all
waves of the beam are aligned) or elliptical (the end of the electrical vector circum-
scribes an ellipse) [6].
Principle for determination of the intensity of light beams
This principle follows from the experiments on passing of the nature light
beam through two plates of an uniaxial crystal with transversal optical axes as it is
described in [6]. If to take a single plate of such crystal with the surfaces that parallel
to the optical axis and pass a nature wave beam through it perpendicularly to its sur-
faces, then the intensity of the passed beam will amount to a half of the initial one.
The experimental result is explained by that the plate lets pass those waves that have
the component of the electrical vector parallel to the optical axis exceeding the per-
pendicular one, i.e. if the angle between the electrical vector and optical axis is less
than /4. At that it is believed that the waves which passed through the plate are po-
larized parallel to the optical axis, and the passed light becomes linearly polarized.
 From the corpuscular point of view let’s suggest that the same explain occurs
for photons, but the photons passed through the plate keep their polarizations. So both
points of view equally explain decrease of intensity of the passed light doubly. The
difference consists in the character of polarization of the passed beam in the first and
the second cases. In the first case the polarization of the passed beam is linear, in the
second one the character of polarization is shown in fig.1b at that the value of the an-
gular area of polarization is equal to  = /2 (from -/4 to +/4).
Now let the nature beam of photons pass through two parallel plates with
crossed optical axes as it shown in fig. 2a, the angle between axes of the plates 1 and
2 is marked .

Fig 2. Scheme with crossed axes of two plates.

At that at  = /2 the intensity of the passed light is equal to zero, inasmuch as the
optical axes of both plates are mutual perpendicular. From the corpuscular point of
view the plate 1 lets pass those photons which have the directions of the electrical
vectors lying in the area of /4 from its optical axis, i.e. between vectors Е1 – Е2 and
Е3 – Е4, as it is shown in fig. 2b. Out of this totality the plate 2 lets pass those pho-
tons which have the electrical vectors lying in the area of /4 from its optical axis,
i.e. between vectors Е2 – Е5 and Е4 – Е6. The angular area of polarization of this
beam is equal
The intensity of the beam passed through the plate 2 relatively to one passed through
the plate 1 (index “c” marks the corpuscular point of view) is equal

From the wave point of view the relative intensity of the beam passed the sec-
ond plate submits to the Malus law [7] (index “w” marks the wave point of view):

In fig.3 there are presented both dependences which correspond to the experimental
results: with increasing of the angle  from 0 to /2 the part of light passed through
the plate 2 is decreasing from 1 to 0. The dependance Iw has the wavy character, but

Fig.3. Comparison of dependences given by the corpuscular (Ic)

and wave (Iw) points of view.

for this any physical reason lacks. As for the dependance Ic it is obtained by the na-
ture way. Malus proposed his dependence in 1810, and he had known nothing about
photons, so he explained the results of his measurements by the mostly appropriate
way: the intensity of the passed beam is proportional to square of amplitude, and the
amplitude of the passed wave is proportional to Cos as it is asserted in the wave
theory [6]. The maximum difference between two dependences is 12% at  = /8.
This is a quite determinable value which can be measured in experiments. It can be
believed that the dependence Iw has an approximate character. It follows from this
comparison that the phenomena of light polarization needs the consideration with us-
ing the corpuscular point of view.
Thus, the principal for determination of the intensity of polarized light beams
propagating in definite directions through transparent bodies consists of finding of the
angular area of polarization. The population of such photons is determined by the
comparison of values of the parallel and perpendicular to these directions components
of the electrical vectors of photons.
Light polarization at reflection and refraction. The Brewster law.
Let a nature beam of photons falls upon the boundary of two transparent media,
at that the reflected and refracted beams arise. As it is known, the directions of prop-
agation of both beams are determined by the angle of incidence and the indexes of
refraction of both media.
Let’s consider any photon intersected the boundary of media and being close to
the interface. In fig.4 there is shown by a broken line the plane of oscillations of this
photon.

Fig.4. Plane of oscillations. NN is the perpendicular to the boundary

of two media, FF is the line of intersection of the plane of incidence
with the oscillations one,  is the refraction angle.

It is perpendicular to the direction of the refracted beam p. The electrical vector of
this photon E is directed at angle  to the plane of incidence. By the angle  it will be
characterized the photon polarization. The component of the electrical vector that lies
in the plane of incidence Ei and that which perpendicular to it En are correspondingly
expressed by formulas

To define whether this photon will be moving in the direction of the refraction or re-
flection beam it will be used the principle that was established in the previous section.

For that it needs to find the components E and E⊥ of the electrical vector of the pho-
ton correspondingly parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the reflected beam.
From fig.5 it follows

Fig.5. Incident upon the boundary , reflected r and refracted p beams.

 - angle of incidence,  - angle of refraction.

Then with using (1):

Let’s suppose that this photon will stay in the refraction beam if by value
or get to the reflection beam in the case of the opposite inequality. For this presump-
tion there are the next considerations:
1) At the normal incidence of the nature beam of photons upon the interface
( = 0) all photons are physically “equal in rights” because the electrical vectors of
all photons are parallel to this interface. At that practically the beam as a whole prop-
agates into medium 2 ( = 0), the intensity of the reflected beam is equal to zero, and
the components E⊥ = E, E = 0. This corresponds to (4), and it follows from (3) that
angle  = 900 for all photons of the incident beam.
2) At increasing of the angle  the intensity of the reflected beam accordingly to
the experimentally stated Brewster law begins to increase. This means that there is
some angle 0(), so that photons from the angular area

will stay in the refracted beam, and from the area

get into the reflected beam. It is clear that for the area (5) inequality (4) is correct, and
for the area (6) it is correct the inequality opposed (4). Then with taking into account
the symmetry relatively to the plane of incidence, the angular areas of polarization of
the reflected and refracted beams are correspondingly equal

The relative values of the electrical vector components (2) and (3) with taking
into account the experimentally established expression tied the angles of incidence
and refraction [8]

where n is the index of refraction of medium 2 relatively to medium 1, can be ex-

pressed by formulas
The equation

gives the possibility to determine the value of the angle 0, and consequently the are-
as of polarization of the reflected and refracted beams according to (7). This equation
can be solved by graphically. For example it was solved for media air – water
(n = 1,33) and for angles  = 250 and B = 530, as it is shown in fig.6.

Fig. 6. Graphical solving for two cases:  = 250 and B = 530.

Numbers 1 and 2 denote the areas of polarization of the reflected
and refracted beams correspondingly.

The angle B is the angle of maximal polarization of the reflected beam accordingly
to the Brewster law [3]

In the first case ( = 250) the perpendicular and parallel components of the electrical
vector are equal for 0 = 34,50, at that the area of polarization of the reflected beam
less than it of the refracted one, and in the second case (B = 530) the components are
equal for 0 = 450, at that the areas of polarization of one and another beams are
equal. This means that the intensity of the reflected beam less than it of the refracted
one in the first case, but in the second case the intensities of both beams are equal. In
fig. 7 there are presented characters of polarization of the reflected and refracted
beams.

Fig. 7. Characters of polarization of the beams.

Denotes: 1 – reflected beam, 2 – refracted beam.

It is seen that the reflected beam is polarized nearby the plane of incidence, but the
refracted one – nearby the perpendicular to it. The values of the areas of polarization
are pointed in accordance with (7).
Substitution of expressions (8) and (9) in (10) gives

or

Then the dependance 0() expresses by the equation

Inasmuch as the intensities of beams are proportional to values of their angular areas
of polarization then the intensity of the reflected beam relatively to it of the refracted
one can be defined as
The graph of I() with taking into account (12) for media air – water is presented in
fig. 8.

Fig. 8. The graph of dependence of the reflected beam intensity on

the incidence angle  relatively to the refracted one.

It is seen that the maximum of this dependence takes place at B = 530 that satisfies to
the Brewster law (11), In his work [3] Brewster drew attention that the intensity of
the reflected beams changes steeper at  > B, than at  < B. It is clear seen in fig.8
that the trend of the curve corresponds to his observations. So, it follows from this
that the dependence (13) together with (12) represents nothing but the Brewster law.
Conclusion
1. On basis of the corpuscular point of view upon the phenomena of the light po-
larization it is established the principle giving the possibility to determine intensities
of light beams propagating to the definite directions in transparent bodies. This prin-
ciple is consisted in comparison of values of the parallel and perpendicular to the
preferential direction of the electrical vector components of photons.
2. Application of the pointed principle to analysis of the reflection and refraction
of light at the boundary of two transparent bodies gave the possibility to find the ana-
lytical expression of the Brewster law.
 3. Obtaining of the Brewster law by means of the corpuscular point of view
proves necessity of using of such approach to the phenomena of the light polariza-
tion.
References
1. М. Planck. To the theory of power distribution of the normal spectrum. Ver-
handl. Dtsch. phys. Ges., 1900, 2, 237—245.
2. A. Einstein. About a heuristic point of view referring to production and trans-
formation of light. Ann. Phys., 1905, 17, 132—148.
3. D. Brewster. On the laws which regulate the polarisation of light by reflexion
from transparent bodies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 105,
125 – 159.
4. J. Maxwell. A treatise on electricity and magnetism, vol. II,. Oxford, At the
Clarendon press, 1881, p. 399.
5. R. Pohl. Optic and atom physic, chapter XVII. Springer, 1963.
6. R. Pohl. Optic and atom physic, chapter X. Springer, 1963.
7. Memoire sur de nouveaux phenomenes d’optiqu. In Nouveau bulletin des sci-
ences de la Societe philomathique de Paris, 2 (1811), 291-295.
8. R. Pohl. Optic and atom physic, chapter II. Springer, 1963.