V 4

Partially polarized light

Every mono thromatic wave is polarized

Let us consider now waves with

frequencies in a small interval Aw

and average frequency w Its

electric at
field fixed point
a

in
space can be written in the

int
form É É f e

with Io It
slowly varying
Since the polarization thanges with

time the wave is called partially

polarized
 The is
polaritation of
a wave

measured by measuring its intensity

after it passed a suitable

filter
The time resolution is also in many

cases not sufficient to resolve ostillation

and we will consider time averages

The products EY EY Eo Eo eliot

t
and Ei E to
Ej i
Eoj e
average

Zero Hence the

polarisation
can be
information of a wave

characterized by the tensor

Jij EoiEojt
where the bar denotes taking the
time average Since É is orthogonal

to the
propagation direction it has

only two degrees of freedom we

only have to consider four components

We choose 7
of Lij i
j y

i
j
2 7 I kex We
define
É.É real
JI Ji
This quantity determines the

intensity of the wave as measured

by the energy flux density and

which is not directly related to

the polarization properties We

then introduce the

polarization

Ija
tensor
gig whirl is

Hermitian It has three parameters

For a
polarized wave
gig
is

co pletely determined by a constant

vector The and

necessary suffilient
condition for that is that the

determinant vanishes def 0

gig
For un
polarized light all dire tiong

are
equivalent and
fig Sig

det gig f
We then define
can a
degree of
P Elo
polarization 73 via

def F 7 P
gig
P 7 4detg.tt
We can also split gig into a

symmetri part Jiji gift fji

and an
antisymmetric part
I gig Sj Icij A

where A is a real pseudos salar

is the Levi Civita symbol

Eij in

two dimensions Enz E 7

For a circularly polarited wave

with Eo Ii E
Sig Lij and

A IT For a linearly polarized

wave É can be chosen real so

that A O
A is the degree of
circular polarization th
right

circularly polarized waves

be the
Sig can brought in
form
Sig In n't ng
t tr n
hi

with 7 X 7
tn 20 and

the unit vectors i and i

are
perpendicular corresponding to

linear There is
polarizations
no mixed tem n
hi hi The

two parts are incoherent

We also
can
define y as angle
between i and Then
Ey
i
cosy sing i l sing lol
y

7th
Sij I
cos
ly Csis y
e si z n e
coly
where l I A I tr Then

l is the degree
of maximum linear

polarization
Another common parametrisation
are the Stokes parameters

l s in
Ly
A S L colly
 7 5 5 is
fig I Stig 7 53

with Si E C 1 73 They also

have 53 71 7
physical meanings
corresponds to complete linear

polarization along the y Z axis

characterizes linear polaritation

at an
angle y to the y axis

I 7 I 450
y

Furthermore
detgij 1,17 55 55 55
and PIE Sit Note that

e A and A Fits are Lorentz

invariant
W 5 Electrostatics in plane waves

We want to express the electrostatic

field of a
point change q

at the in plane waves

origin
Clearly here the relation K Jia

cannot be We begin
fulfilled
the Poisson equation
from
sp E SCE
and Fourier expansion of of
using
a

pet Sei ga
Applying A on both sides

sp Sei AT K'd
ng
 And the Fourier
taking transform
the Poisson equation
of
AT 1 Set Seeta's E
Henie I desired
I I The

is
expansion in plane waves

4 5 Y