POLARIZATION

• EM waves
• Polarization by Reflection
• Brewster’s angle
• Linear Circular and Elliptically polarized
light
• Applications
 EM wave is …
• Light is an electromagnetic wave.
• It consists of vibrations of electric field and
magnetic field.
• The electric field and magnetic field are
perpendicular to each other and in phase.
• EM wave is a transverse wave.
• The speed of EM wave is 3 x 108 ms-1.
Electromagnetic Wave
 Representation . . .

E E

Unpolarized Polarized
 Representation . . .

Unpolarized Polarized
Polarization of Light
 Polarization by Reflection
Review reflection and refraction:

Incident ray

Reflected ray

AIR

GLASS

Transmitted
(refracted) ray
 Brewster’s Angle
Consider the special case where the transmitted and
reflected rays are at right angles to one another

Incident ray

Reflected ray

AIR

GLASS

Transmitted
(refracted) ray
 Brewster’s Angle
• This special angle of incidence is called
“Brewster’s Angle”
• For light incident at this angle, there is not
reflected ray polarized in the plane of the figure.
• Thus the reflected light
is polarized perpendicular
to the plane of the figure
Polarized Light

Polarized Light
Vibrations lie on one single
plane only.

Unpolarized Light
Superposition of many beams,
in the same direction of
propagation, but each with
random polarization.
 Mathematical description of the
Part I: Polarization states

EM wave

Light wave that propagates in the z direction:

 
E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) x
 
E y ( z, t )  E 0y cos( kz -  t   ) y

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Part I: Polarization states

Graphical representation of the

EM wave (I)
 
E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) x
One can go from:  
E y ( z, t )  E 0y cos( kz -  t   ) y
to the equation of an ellipse (using trigonometric
identities, squaring, adding):

2
 Ex   Ey 
2
E Ey
     2 x
cos  sin 2 
 
 E 0x   E 0y  E 0x E 0y

12
 Graphical representation of the
Part I: Polarization states

EM wave (II)

An ellipse can be represented

by 4 quantities:
1. size of minor axis
2. size of major axis
3. orientation (angle)
4. sense (CW, CCW)

Light can be represented by 4 quantities...

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 13

 Part I: Polarization states, linear polarization

Vertically polarized light

 
E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) x
 
E y ( z, t )  E 0y cos( kz -  t   ) y
If there is no amplitude in x (E0x = 0), there is
only one component, in y (vertical).

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 Part I: Polarization states, linear polarization

Polarization at 45º (I)

 
E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) x
 
E y ( z, t )  E 0y cos( kz -  t   ) y
If there is no phase difference (=0) and
E0x = E0y, then Ex = Ey

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 Part I: Polarization states, circular polarization

Circular polarization (I)

 
E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) x
 
E y ( z, t )  E 0y cos( kz -  t   ) y

If the phase difference is = 90º and E0x = E0y

then: Ex / E0x = cos  , Ey / E0y = sin 
and we get the equation of a circle:
2
 Ex   Ey 
2

      cos2  sin 2  1
E 
 E 0x   0y 

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 16

 Part I: Polarization states, circular polarization

Circular polarization (II)

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 17

 Part I: Polarization states, circular polarization

Circular polarization (III)

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 18

 Part I: Polarization states, circular polarization... see it now?

Circular polarization (IV)

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 19

 Part I: Polarization states, elliptical polarization

Elliptical polarization

•Linear + circular polarization = elliptical

polarization
N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 20
 Part I: Polarization states, unpolarized light
Unpolarized light
(natural light)

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 21

 Part III: Optical components, polarizers

Polarizers

Polarizers absorb one component of the

polarization but not the other.
The input is natural light, the output is polarized
light (linear, circular, elliptical). They work by
dichroism, birefringence, reflection, or
scattering.

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 22

 Dichroic crystals
Part III: Optical components, polarizers

[dichroism]

Dichroic crystals absorb one

polarization state over the
other one.
Example: tourmaline.

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 23

 Crystal polarizers (I)
Part III: Optical components, polarizers

[birefringence]

• Optically anisotropic crystals

• Mechanical model:
• the crystal is anisotropic, which means that the electrons are
bound with different ‘springs’ depending on the orientation
• different ‘spring constants’ gives different propagation speeds,
therefore different indices of refraction, therefore 2 output
beams

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 24

 Part III: Optical components, polarizers
Crystal polarizers (II)
[birefringence]

isotropic
anisotropic
crystal
crystal
(sodium
(calcite)
chloride)

The 2 output beams are polarized (orthogonally).

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 25

 Part III: Optical components, retarders

Retarders

• In retarders, one polarization gets ‘retarded’, or delayed, with respect to the other
one. There is a final phase difference between the 2 components of the
polarization. Therefore, the polarization is changed.
• Most retarders are based on birefringent materials (quartz, mica, polymers) that
have different indices of refraction depending on the polarization of the incoming
light.

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 26

Part III: Optical components, retarders

Half-Wave plate (I)

• Retardation of ½ wave
or 180º for one of the
polarizations.

• Used to flip the linear

polarization or change
the handedness of
circular polarization.

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 27

 Part III: Optical components, retarders

Half-Wave plate (II)

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 28

Part III: Optical components, retarders

Quarter-Wave plate (I)

• Retardation of ¼ wave or 90º for one of the
polarizations

• Used to convert linear polarization to elliptical.

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 29

 Part III: Optical components, retarders

Quarter-Wave plate (II)

• Special case: incoming light polarized at 45º with respect to the retarder’s axis

• Conversion from linear to circular polarization (vice versa)

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 30

Polarizing Material

A Polarizing material will

only allow the passage of
that component of the
electric field parallel to
the polarization direction
of the material

I = I0 cos2q
Polarizer & Unpolarized Light

• Each wave is attenuated by factor cos2q.

• Average attenuation is < cos2q > = 1/2
 Crossed Polarizers

• The first polarizer reduces the intensity by half.

• The second polarizer reduces the intensity by another factor of cos2q.
• The second polarizer projects the electric field onto a new axis,
rotated by q from the axis of the first polarizer
Crossed at different angles . . .
Crossed at different angles . . .
 Part IV: Polarimeters, summary

Polarimeters - Summary
• 2 types:
– polaroid-type: easy to make but ½ light is lost, and affected by
variable atmospheric transmission
– dual-beam type: no light lost but affected by gain differences
and variable transmission problems
• Linear polarimetry:
– analyzer, rotatable  2 positions minimum
– analyzer + half-wave plate
• Circular polarimetry:  1 position minimum
– analyzer + quarter-wave plate

N. Manset / CFHT Polarization of Light: Basics to Instruments 36

 How Do Polarized Lenses Work?
• Light reflected from surfaces
like a flat road or smooth
water is generally horizontally
polarized. This horizontally
polarized light is blocked by
the vertically oriented
polarizers in the lenses.
• The result: a reduction in
annoying and sometimes
dangerous glare.
 Action of Polaroid Sunglass

Vertically Polarized Light

Light reflected from from Objects
surfaces like a flat road or
smooth water is generally
horizontally polarized.
This horizontally
polarized light is blocked
by the vertically oriented Unwanted glares are usually
polarizers in the lenses. horizontally polarized light
Glare and Polarization

www.johnsonwindowfilms.com/cutglare.htm
Polarizing Lenses: Example

Without Polarizing lenses

With Polarizing lenses

Polarizing Camera Filters
Optical Activity

Photograph of a plastic
model of a crane hook
 Optical Activity
• When polarized light is passed through some materials,
the plane of polarization is rotated.
• Examples : plastic ruler, sellotape, sugar solution
• Applications :
– Stress Analysis : The optical activity of plastic and glass
depends on the stress in them. When the stress is greatest,
the rotation of the vibration is greatest. Dark and colour
bands are produced when polarized light is shone through
the material. Engineers build plastic models of structures to
help them to analysts the stress distribution.
– LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays)
Application
• Used in LCD display
• Electrical voltage on a liquid
crystal diode turns on and off
polarizing filter effect.
Seven-Segment LCD
 Links
• http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/lightandcol
or/polarization.html
• http://dpfwiw.com/polarizer.htm#unwanted
• Blue Skies and Red Sunsets
http://science.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm
?parent=question39.htm&url=http://www.glen
brook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/light/u12l2f.
html