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Polarization of light
• Polarization meaning and types
– Malus law
• Methods of polarization
– Polarization by reflection
• Brewster’s law
– Wire grid polarizer
– Polarization by (selective) absorption
• Dichroism
• Polaroid
– Polarization by double refraction
• (Birefringence/anomalous refraction)
• Phase retardation plates
• Nicole prism

• Applications
– Polarized sun glasses
– Optical activity Dr. Prabal Pratap Singh Bhadauria
• Half shade plate School of Physics and Material Science 1
• Lorentz half shade polarimeter TIET, Dera Bussi Campus, Punjab

Polarization Photography

Reduce Sun Glare
Reduce Reflections
Darkens Sky
Increase Color Saturation
Reduce Haze 2

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Polarization Photography

Without Polarizer With Polarizer

• Provides better Color Saturation 3
• Darkens the sky
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Without Polarizer

With Polarizer

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Polarization Photography : Scattering

Haze De‐hazed

Polarization Photography : Reflections

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Polarization Photography : Underwater

Light wave and polarization

In modern theory, light is produced when an excited electron in an atom returns to

its ground state and in doing so, it releases its extra energy in form of photon
(provided this extra energy is enough to be a light quanta).

It is polarization of light waves which proved that the light is not longitudinal
wave rather it is a transvers wave.

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Polarization of waves

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Polarization of waves
Plane of polarization
Plane of vibration

Plane in which there is no

vibration of electric field vector, is
called plane of polarization.
Linear polarization
Plane in which all the vibrations of
electric vectors lie, is called plane Circular polarization
of vibration. Elliptical polarization
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Linear Polarization

Two orthogonal plane waves with same phase but possibly different amplitudes
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Circular Polarization

Two orthogonal plane waves with 90o phase difference and same amplitudes
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Elliptical Polarization

Two orthogonal plane waves with 90o phase difference and different amplitudes
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Methods of Polarizing light

Polarization by wire grid polarizer

Polarization by reflection
Polarization by selective absorption
Polarization by double refraction

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Polarization by conducting wire
(Wire grid polarizer)

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Polarization by conducting wire
(Wire grid polarizer)

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Polarization by conducting wire
(Wire grid polarizer)

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Polarization by reflection
(Brewster’s law)

𝜇
𝑇𝑎𝑛𝛼 𝜇
𝜇

𝑆𝑖𝑛𝛼
𝜇
𝑆𝑖𝑛𝛽
𝐶𝑜𝑠𝛼 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝛽 𝐶𝑜𝑠 90 𝛽)

→𝛼 𝛽 90°
At Brewster’s angle the reflected and refracted 
waves are perpendicular to each other.
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Polarization by reflection

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Polarization by reflection

Reflection coefficient; 𝑟 ~ 0.2

Amount of reflected polarized light is very less.

Pile of plates:

A pile of ~ 24 plates
can make 90 % of
the incident light
polarized.

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Polarization by absorption
(Dichroism)

Dichroic crystals and solutions can absorb one of two plane‐polarized

components of transmitted light more strongly than the other. This
property is the basis for the formation of Polaroid.

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To make a polaroid, microcrystals of dichroic material organic compound-

quinine iodosulfate (also called herapathite) are first aligned with their optic axis
along one direction, and then they are joined together in the form of a sheet using
fast-drying nitrocellulose.
When this sheet is sandwiched between two thin glass plates, a polaroid is formed.

Applications:
In antiglare sunglasses
In polarization photography
In automobile headlights and windscreens
In aircraft windowpanes

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Law of Malus

Amplitude:

Intensity = Const . (Amplitude)2

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Polarization by double refraction
(Birefringence)

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Polarization by double refraction
(Birefringence)

𝑐
𝑣
𝑛

𝑐
𝑣
𝑛 sin 𝜃 𝑛 cos 𝜃

Positive crystal: quatrz, rutile, ice, zinc oxide

Negative crystal: calcite, tourmaline, sodium nitrate 26

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Phase retardation plates

Path difference = λ/4  Quarter‐wave plate

Path difference = λ/2  Half‐wave plate

Path difference = λ  Full‐wave plate

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Thickness of Phase retardation plate

Path difference = extra time

taken by slow moving wave to
travel thickness ‘t’ in
t birefringent crystal X speed of
light outside.

Path difference = 𝑐 𝑡𝜇 𝜇

For full‐wave plate, Path difference λ 𝑡𝜇 𝜇

 𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 λ/(𝝁𝒐 ~𝝁𝒆 )
For half‐wave plate, Path difference λ/2 𝑡 𝜇 𝜇
 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 λ/2(𝝁𝒐 ~𝝁𝒆 )
For quarter‐wave plate, Path difference λ/4 𝑡 𝜇 𝜇
 𝒕𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 λ/4(𝝁𝒐 ~𝝁𝒆 ) 28

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Production of circular polarization

Amplitude of polarized light =A

Amplitudex axis 𝑎 𝐴𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃
Amplitudey axis 𝑏 𝐴𝐶𝑜𝑠𝜃

x = 𝑎 𝑆𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑡 and y = 𝑏 𝑆𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑡 𝛿

π
𝛿QWP
y 𝑏 𝑆𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝛿 𝐶𝑜𝑠 𝜔𝑡 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝛿 2

𝛿HWP π
𝐶𝑜𝑠𝛿 1 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝛿
𝛿FWP 2π

𝒙𝟐 𝒚𝟐 𝒙𝒚
 𝟐 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝜹 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝟐 𝜹
𝒂𝟐 𝒃𝟐 𝒂𝒃
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Production of circular polarization

𝒙𝟐 𝒚𝟐 𝒙𝒚
𝟐 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝜹 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝟐 𝜹
𝒂𝟐 𝒃𝟐 𝒂𝒃

For 𝛿 0 2 0 or

For 𝛿 π 2 0 or

π For 𝛿 π/2 1 elliptical polarization

𝛿QWP
2 If 𝑎 𝑏 𝑥 𝑦 𝑎 circular polarization
𝛿HWP π
𝛿FWP 2π 𝑜𝑟 0
𝑎 𝐴𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝜃 45° 𝑏 𝐴𝐶𝑜𝑠𝜃
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Phase retardation plates

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Polarization by double refraction
(Birefringence)

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Three principle sections

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Nicole prism
Principal section

Refractive index of Calcite for ordinary ray μo = 1.658
Refractive index of Canada balsam  μ = 1.550 34
Refractive index of Calcite for extra ordinary ray μe = 1.486

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Nicole prism

Calcite for ordinary ray μo = 1.658
Canada balsam  μ = 1.550
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Calcite for extra ordinary ray μe = 1.486

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Nicole prism

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Polarization by scattering

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Optical activity
It is observed that certain substances like quartz, sugar crystal (or sugar in solution),
etc. rotate the plane of vibration of a plane polarized light passing through them.
This property of rotating the plane of vibration of plane polarized light about its direction
of travel by some crystal is known as optical activity.
This phenomenon is known as optical rotation and
The angle through which the plane of polarization is rotated is known as angle of rotation.

• Clockwise rotation:- right-handed or +ve or dextrorotatory.

• Anticlockwise rotation:- left-handed or –ve or laevorotatory.
𝜃 ∝ 𝐿, 𝜃 𝑆𝐿𝑐
𝜃∝𝑐
𝜃
𝜃 ∝ 𝐿𝑐 𝑆 Specific rotation
𝐿𝑐

The instrument which measures the specific rotation of any optically

active material is known as polarimeter.
Lorentz half-shade polarimeter is one of the example. 39

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Half‐shade plate

Laurent's half-shade plate consists of a semi-circular half-wave plate ABC of

quartz and a semi-circular glass plate ADC.
The quartz part is cut parallel to optical axis, so that it introduces a phase change
of 180o between extra-ordinary and ordinary ray passing through it.
And the thickness of glass part is such that the absorption of light is the same in
both the parts.

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Half‐shade plate

Polarizer with Intensity seen

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vertical optical axis by polarizer

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Half‐shade plate

Polarizer with Intensity seen

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rotated optical axis by polarizer

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Half‐shade plate

Polarizer with Intensity seen

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rotated optical axis by polarizer

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Laurent’s half‐shade device

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Laurent’s half‐shade device

Polarizer

Intensity seen
through polarizer

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Laurent’s half‐shade device

Positions of polarizer

Rotated
1 2
vibrations

Intensity seen
through polarizer
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Now you must be able to answer:
Optical activity,
What is polarization
specific rotation
Types of polarization.
Half shade plate,
How to produce a polarized light using
Lorentz half shade polarimeter
reflection
dichroism,
scattering,
birefringence
Bruster’s law, Malus law
+ve and –ve birefringent crystals,
Optical axis,
Principle plane,
Phase retardation plates,
Production of circular polarization,
Production of elliptical polarization,
How to analyze polarization of light.

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