Physical Experiment I

Lab Report

Lab Title: Polarized Light

Student: 张可宇

UESTC ID: 2020190506009

Instructor: 付浩

Teaching Assistant: 张雨桐

Date Performed: 2021.5.22

Score:
 Score
Abstract (About 100 words, 10 points)

The experiment verified the transverse property of light since there are polarized
light in the process. A polaroid plate is used to verify the law of Malus. We obtained
the function of the quarter-wave plate and the half-wave plate, which gives mutual
transformation between linearly polarized light and elliptical polarized light, and
rotates the emergent light from polaroid plate, apparently.
It shows that there is an extension when the fast axis of the polaroid plate is
orthogonal to the vibration plane of the polarized light. Using the combination of the
polaroid plate, we can distinguish the unpolarized light, the linearly polarized light ,
the circular one and the elliptical one.

Score
Calculations and Results (Calculations, data tables and figures;
15 points)

1. Data Tables
DATA TABLE 7-1 (purpose: To verify the law of Malus)
What is the possible polarization state for the laser light source? Elliptical

P1=304.1°， P2=327.0°

Angle starting from

0° 10° 20° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90°
the position of P2, θ
photocurrent, Iθ 614 580 561 511 398 353 253 103 19 0
Angle starting from
100° 110° 120° 130° 140° 150° 160° 170° 180°
the position of P2,θ
photocurrent, Iθ 60 185 307 407 480 536 575 606 609

DATA TABLE 7-2 (purpose: To verify the function of quarter-wave plate)

P1=307.4°， P2=145.0°， C1=270.5°

Change the position of λ/4

0° 15° 30° 45° 60° 75° 90°
plate starting at C1
How many times of maximum Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min
and minimum intensity can you
observe when you rotate the 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
analyzer in a circle?
Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min
The maximum and minimum
intensities 423 2 402 58 345 169 256 235 329 133 359 26 404 2
What is the polarization state of
Linear Elliptical Elliptical Elliptical Elliptical Elliptical Linear
the light after λ/4 plate?
1
 DATA TABLE 7-3 (purpose: To verify the function of half-wave plate)

1) How many times of extinction can you observe when rotating the half-wave plate
from 0 to 360°? 4

2) How many times of extinction can you observe when rotating the analyzer from 0
to 360°? 2

P1=304.0°， P2=324.0°， C2=170.0°

Change the position of λ/2 plate starting at C2 0° 15° 30° 45° 60° 75° 90°
Rotate the analyzer in a circle Position 1 53.1° 83.2° 112.4° 142.9° 172.4° 203.5° 232.0°
and record its positions where
you can observe extinction Position 2 222.5° 249.6° 280.1° 332.0° 3.3° 32.0° 63.5°

2.Data Processing
(1)

Photocurrent (I) versus angle(𝜃)

700

600

500
Photocurrent,I/mA

400

300

200

100

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Angle strating from the position of P2, θ/°

(2)

2
 Photocurrent (I) versus angle(𝜃)
700

600

500
Photocurrent,I/mA

400

300

200

100

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃

(3)
By analyzing the maximum and minimum of the intensities, it can be observed that
𝜆
the change of the position of plate of 0° and 90° make the polarized light be
4

linearly polarized light. This is because the minimum intensity is 2mA, which is
very close to 0.

𝜆
The change of the position of plate from 15° to 75° make the polarized light be
4

elliptically polarized light.

Therefore, the function of the quarter -wave plate is turning linearly polarized light
into elliptically polarized light. It can also turn elliptically polarized light into
linearly polarized light.

(4)
After rotating the analyzer from 0 to 360°, the extinction can be found twice. This
𝜆
means that the light which goes through the plate is a linear polarized light.
2

Base on the data from the table, it can be concluded that if the change of the
position varies 15°, the analyzer needs to be rotated 30° (the same direction of the
𝜆
plate) so that the extinction can be observed.
2

3
 Once the angle between the linearly polarized light and the half-wave plate is
changed by 𝜃°, the linearly polarized light which goes through the analyzer is
rotated 2𝜃°. Therefore, the half-wave plate can rotate the linearly polarized light.

Score
Conclusions (About 100 words, 5 points)

The experiment shows us the property of the polarized light. The light from the
source is found as an elliptical light since there is 1 extinction after it goes through the
polaroid plate.
By calculating the data from the table 3.7-1 above, the law of Malus I=𝐼0 𝑐𝑜𝑠 2 𝜃
can be verified. After observing the intensity of the light which goes through the
quarter-wave plate, the function of the plate is obtained, which is turning linearly
polarized light into an elliptical one and turning elliptically polarized light into a
linearly one.
It can be observed that the position of the analyzer where the extinction occurs
𝜆
varies with the change of the position of the plate. Therefore, the half-wave plate is
2

used to rotate the polarized light.

Score
Answers to Postlab Questions (10 points)

(1)
If light were longitudinal light, after rotating the polaroid plate, the intensity of the
linearly polarized will not change. The longitudinal light cannot occur polarization. It
goes through the plate without polarization. Therefore, the polarization phenomena
can indicate that light is a transverse wave.

(2)
4 times.
𝜆
After the linearly polarized light goes through the plate, the light is rotated for 2
2

𝜆
𝜃 where 𝜃 is the change of the angle of the plate starting from the original place.
2

4
So the light rotates for 720°, making the fast axis and the light generate 4 quadrature.
Therefore, there are 4 extinction.
(3)
Let the light go through a quarter-wave plate and then a polaroid plate. Rotate the
polaroid plate from 0°-360. If there are 2 extinctions, the light is a circularly polarized
light; if there is no extinction, the light is an unpolarized light.

5
 Appendix

(Scanned data sheets)