Polarisation

Polarisation
Polarisation - the phenomenon in which waves
of light or other radiation are restricted in direction
of vibration
 Plane polarised wave
Waves with the particles oscillating in one plane only
are called plane polarised.

Direction of oscillation and direction of travel all lie

in the same plane in plane polarised wave.
 Unpolarised wave
If the oscillations are not confined to any single plane.
The wave is unpolarised wave.

Unpolarised wave. Polarised wave.

 Why the longitudinal waves cannot
be polarised?
Longitudinal waves have particles that have no
components of oscillations in the planes perpendicular
to the direction and so cannot be polarised.
 Polaroid filter
A polaroid filter polarises the light.

For different wave polaroid filter is different.

For microwave, a grille of metal rods acts as a filter.

For visible light, quinine iodosulphate acts as a filter.
For microwave, a grille of metal rods acts as a filter.
 Angle between two polaroid and
intensity of light

If two polaroid filters are parallel intensity of

light is maximum.
If angle between two polaroid filters
increases intensity of light decreases.
If two polaroid filters are perpendicular the
intensity of light is minimum.
 Investigate unpolarised light

Rotation

Unpolarised Polaroid
light. filter

If the light is unpolarised intensity of light remains

same after rotation.
 Investigate polarised light

Rotation

Polarised Polaroid
light. filter

If the light is polarised intensity of light changes

with rotation.
 Polarisation by reflection
Light reflected from surfaces such as a flat road or
smooth water generally is horizontally polarised.
Degree of polarisation depends on angle of
incidence. But it is always towards horizontal
polarisation.
 Polarisation by refraction

Light incident on a surfaces into which they can

refract such as wet flat road or pond will reflect
partially horizontally polarised light and transmit
into water will partially vertically polarised light.
 Polaroid sunglasses reduce glare
from the water surface

Light reflected from surfaces such as a flat road or

smooth water generally is horizontally polarised. This
creates an annoying and sometimes dangerous
intensity of light that we experience as glare.

Polarised sunglasses cut glare (horizontally polarised

light) so our eyes are more comfortable and we can
see better.
 Vertically polarised
Unpolarised light passes through
light from the the polarising filter.
sun

Light which is
reflected from the
surface of water is
mainly horizontally Light reflected from the
polarised. object below the surface of
water is mainly vertically
Q 1,2 / P 9 polarised.
 Polarimetry
Active substance

An optically active substance is one that rotates the

plane of polarized light‡
.

Optical activity

When a certain organic liquids, solutions (sugar) or

quartz crystals are placed in the path of plane
polarized light, the plane of polarization is rotated.
This is known as optical activity.
If the compound in the polarimetry cell is
optically active, the plane of the light would
be rotated on its way through the tube.

From the specific rotation [α] we can

determine the concentration of the optical
active compound.

Q3,4,5 / P10,11