Polarization

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 Polarization
Polarized sunglasses

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Polarization

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Polarization:
is a property of the wave of light that can oscillate with certain orientation; the
wave exhibits polarization which has only one possible polarization, namely
the direction in which the wave is travelling.
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 Polarization
Polarization:
Consider the superposition of two plane
 x = Ex sin (kz − t )
polarized waves:

 y = E y sin (kz − t +  )
If =2m, m being an integer,

 =  x2 + y2 = E sin (kz − t )
Ey If =(2m+1), m being an integer,
E= E +E 2 2
tan  =
x y
Ex  =  x2 + y2 = E sin (kz − t )
Ey
E = E x2 + E y2 tan  = −
Ex

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 Polarization
Right Circularly Polarized Light: Left Circularly Polarized Light:
If =(2m-1/2), m being an integer, If =(2m+1/2), m being an integer,
E x = E y = E1 E x = E y = E1
 =  x2 +  y2 = E x2 + E y2 = E1  =  x2 +  y2 = E x2 + E y2 = E1
y cos t
 y cos t tan  = =−
tan  = = x sin t
 x sin t
 =  2 + t at z = 0
 = −  2 − t at z = 0
Right and left circular light can be
written as,
E R (z , t ) = E1 isin (kz − t ) − j cos(kz − t )

E L (z, t ) = E1 isin (kz − t ) + j cos(kz − t )

Their superposition becomes
E(z , t ) = 2iE1 sin (kz − t )
A plane polarized wave can be
synthesized from two oppositely
polarized circular waves.
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 Polarization
Elliptically Polarized Light:
Suppose Ex  E y and =(2m+1/2), m being an integer.
 x = Ex sin (kz − t )  y = E y sin (kz − t +  2) = E y cos(kz − t )
2
 y 
2
 x 
  +  =1
E 
 Ex   y 

State of Polarization:
P-state
R-state and L-state
E-state
Natural Light:
Natural light is randomly polarized. We can mathematically represent natural light
in terms of two arbitrary, incoherent, orthogonal, linearly polarized waves of equal
amplitude (i.e., waves for which the relative phase difference varies rapidly and
randomly).

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 Polarization
Example:
A wave  has the components x=E1cos(kz-t) and y=-E1cos(kz-t). What is its state of
polarization?
 =  x2 + y2 = 2 E1 cos(kz − t )
y
tan  = = −1  = 135
x

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 Polarization

Polarizers:
a device to generate polarized light out of natural one. It can also be used as an
analyzer to allow all E-vibrations parallel to the transmission axis to pass.

Malus’ Law: I  = I 0 cos2 

When a natural light passes though an ideal polarizer, its intensity is reduced by
half.

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 Polarization
Dichorism:
selective absorption of one of the two orthogonal P-state in incident natural light.

wire-grid dichroic
polarizer crystal

Commercial Polaroid H-Sheet:

• It’s a dichroic sheet polarizer.
• An ideal H-sheet would transmit 50% of the incident natural light and is
designated HN-50.
• In practice, due to loss, the H-sheet might be labeled HN-46, HN-38, HN-32, and
HN-22 with the number indicating the percentage of natural light transmitted
through the H-sheet.

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 Polarization
Example:
Natural light of intensity Ii is incident on three HN-46 sheets of Polaroid with their
transmission axes parallel. What is the intensity of the emergent light?
I1 = Ii ´ 46%; I 2 = I1 ´ 46%; I3 = I 2 ´ 46% = Ii ´ ( 0.46) = 0.097Ii
3

Example:
Suppose the third Polaroid in the last question is rotated through 45. What is now the
intensity transmitted?

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 Polarization
Birefringence:
A material which displays two different speeds of propagation in fixed and orthogonal
directions, and therefore displays two refractive indices, is known as birefringent.
Distinction: A dichroic material absorbs one of the orthogonal P-states is dichroic
while in birefringent material we usually neglect the absorption.

Rhombohedron of
Atomic structure of a
calcite. The optic axis
CaCO3 tetrahedron.
passes symmetrically
through a blunt
corner where the
three face angles
equal 102.

c c
ne = no = n = ne − no is called birefringence.
v// v⊥
If n  0 uniaxial positive
If n  0 uniaxial negative

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 Polarization
Example:
A calcite plate is cut as shown in figure with the optic axis perpendicular to the plane of the
paper. A ray of natural light, =589.3 nm, is incident at 30 to the normal. The plane of the
paper is the plane of incidence. Find the angle between the rays inside the plate.

ne = 1.4866; no = 1.6584
n sin i = ne sin ie ie = 19.65
n sin i = no sin io  io = 17.55
 = ie − io = 2.10

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 Polarization
Various Types of Plane Polarizers:

Glan-Air prism

Nicol prism

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 Polarization
Example:
A 50 calcite prism is cut with its optic axis as shown in the figure. Sodium light is used in a
spectrometer experiment to find no and ne. Two images of the slit are seen and minimum
deviation is measured for each. Find no and ne if the angles of minimum deviation are 27.83
and 38.99. Explain how you would decide which image was formed by the o-rays and which
was formed by the e-rays.
When d min = 27.83

sin
1
2
(
2
)
(a + d min ) sin 1 50 + 27.83
n= = = 1.4864
1
sin a
2
( )
1 
sin 50
2
When d min = 38.99

sin
1
2
(
2
)
(a + d min ) sin 1 50 + 38.99 Since calcite is uniaxial
n= = = 1.6584 negative, therefore
1
sin a
2
( )
1 
sin 50
2 ne=1.4864 and no=1.6584

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 Polarization
Scattering: The displacement of an electron oscillating harmonically under an
external field is q m
x= 2 E sin t
0 −  2

where 0 is the natural frequency (resonant frequency) of the oscillation of the bound
electron. At resonant frequency, strong absorption occurs. At non-resonant
frequencies the absorption of the wave packet and its subsequent emission is known
as scattering.
Rayleigh Scattering:
Scattering centers have dimensions smaller than the wavelength. The radiated
power is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wavelength of the incident
radiation.

Polarization due to scattering:

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 Polarization
Brewster’s angle

Brewster's angle (also known as the polarization angle) is an angle of

incidence at which light with a particular polarization is perfectly
transmitted through a transparent dielectric surface, with no reflection.

When unpolarized light is incident at this angle, the light that is

reflected from the surface is therefore perfectly polarized. This special
angle of incidence is named after the Scottish physicist Sir David
Brewster (1781–1868)

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Brewster's angle Polarization

n1
90o

n2

With simple geometry, this condition can be expressed as

i + i' = 90o
where i is the angle of reflection (or incidence) and i’ is the angle of refraction.

Using Snell’s law:

n1 sini = n2 sini'
one can calculate the incident angle i = ip at which no light is reflected:

n1 sinip = n2 sin(90o - ip ) = n2 cosip

Solving for ip gives æ n2 ö
-1
ip = tan ç ÷
è n1 ø
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 Polarization
Polarization by Reflection:
tan (ip - i¢)
r// = =0
tan (ip + i¢)
At Brewster’s angle ip, the reflected light becomes plane
polarized perpendicular to the plane of incidence.

pile-of-plates polarizer Brewster window

P=
Ip
=
(I p + I u 2) − I u 2
=
I max − I min
Degree of polarization:
I p + Iu (I p + I u 2) + I u 2 I max + I min

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 Polarization

Example:
Calculate the Brewster’s angle of natural light is incident on (i) a plane air/water boundary,
(ii) a plane air/glass.
æ nwater ö -1 æ 1.33 ö
q B = tan ç
-1
÷ = tan ç ÷ = 53
o

è nair ø è 1 ø
æ
-1 nglass
ö -1 æ 1.5 ö
q B = tan ç ÷ = tan ç ÷ = 56
o

è nair ø è 1 ø
Example:
Natural light is incident on a plane air/glass boundary. Suppose the angle of incidence is
about 55 and the refractive index of glass is 1.5. Calculate the degree of polarization.
nair sin i = ng sin i  i = 33.1
Ip
I r // E2
tan (i − i)
2 P=
R// = = r //
= r//2 = = 1.778  10 −4
I p + Iu
I i // E 2
tan 2 (i + i)
R⊥ − R//
i //

Ir⊥ E 2
sin (i − i)
2 = = 0.997
R⊥ = = r⊥
= r⊥2 = = 0.1393 R⊥ + R//
Ii⊥ E 2
i⊥ sin (i + i )
2


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 Polarization
Retarders:
Retarders are devices that cause one orthogonal P-state component to lag behind
the other on emerging from the retarders.

(
The path difference is OPD = ne − no t )
Full wave plate:
OPD = ( ne − no )t = m , m = 1,2,3...
Half-wave plate:
 1
OPD = ( ne − no )t =  m +  , m = 1,2,3...
 2
Quart-wave plate:
 1
OPD = ( ne − no )t =  m +  , m = 1,2,3...
 4

The component E// and E⊥

that travels faster defines the
fast axis of the plate.

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 Polarization
Compensator:
―A device that allows a
continuous adjustment of
the relative phase shift, the
retardance.

Soleil-Babinet compensator. (Left) Zero retardation.

(Right) Maximum retardation.

A circular light can be changed into P-

state with a quarter-wave plate.
The handiness of circular light can be
checked by this method.

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