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Polarization Concepts
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Brewster's Angle
The angle of incidence at which light with a particular polarization is perfectly transmitted through a transparent dielectric surface, with none of it being reflected. For non-magnetic materials, Brewster's angle can be calculated using the formula , where and are the refractive indices of the incident and transmission mediums, respectively.
Polarization
A property of waves that can oscillate with more than one orientation, polarization describes the orientation of the oscillations perpendicular to the direction of the wave's travel.
Linear Polarization
A type of polarization where the electric field of light oscillates in a single direction or plane.
Elliptical Polarization
A general form of polarization in which the electric field of the light describes an ellipse in any orientation in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Malus's Law
The intensity of polarized light after passing through a polarizing filter is given by , where is the initial intensity and is the angle between the light's initial polarization direction and the axis of the filter.
Polarization by Reflection
Occurs when light reflects off a surface and becomes polarized, typically with the electric field parallel to the reflecting surface being reduced or eliminated.
Dichroism
A form of birefringence where a material displays two different colors when viewed with polarized light from two different directions.
Circular Polarization
A type of polarization where the electric field of light consists of two linear components that are perpendicular to each other, oscillating out of phase, resulting in a spiral-like pattern.
Cross Polarization
A phenomenon that occurs when two polarizing filters are oriented perpendicular to each other, resulting in the blockage of most of the light passing through them.
Photoelasticity
A property of certain transparent materials that exhibit temporary double refraction and therefore polarization effects when under mechanical stress.
Birefringence
A difference in the refractive indices of a material in different polarization states, leading to the splitting of a light wave into two waves with perpendicular polarization states.
Polarization by Scattering
A process wherein light becomes polarized upon scattering. This often occurs in Earth's atmosphere where sunlight scatters off molecules in the air.
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