Polarization

Interference and diffraction proved that light is a wave in nature.

They do not give any information about longitudinal and transverse nature of light or
anything about vibration of electric field.

In general all kind of wave under suitable conditions exhibit interference and diffraction.

In 1816 Arago and Fresnel showed that light waves vibrating mutually perpendicular
plane do not interference.

Polariz

ed light is the light wave with a definite direction of oscillation of the E-Vector, in which
E Vector oscillates in single plane or in some specific way.

Polarized light does not produced in naturally.



WHY NATURAL LIGHT IS UNPOLARIZED?

. Light emitted by ordinary source is emitted by large atomic emitters.

Each atom radiates, at a specific instant a wave packet that last for very small time.

Light emitted by source is a mixture of wave packets emitted at different time by

different atoms.

Individual wave packet is polarized but each has its own direction of oscillation so each
direction is likely to be present in the beam of light and its unpolarized. The concept of
unpolarized light is rather difficult to visualize. Its looked upon as consisting of an
average of half horizontal polarized and half of vertically polarized.

Due to randomness the amplitude of horizontal and vertical component is taken to be

equal. Although they are incoherent and has randomly changing phase.

TYPES OF POLARIZATION
 Plane or linear polarization.

Circular polarization.

Elliptical polarization.

PLANE OR LINEAR POLARIZED LIGHT

Plane polarization lies in one specific plane and orientation does not change with time.

If field oscillates up down, it is known as vertical polarization and if it oscillates left

right, it is known as horizontal polarization.

Electric field can be in any direction and it can always be represented as combination of
horizontal and vertically polarized light.

These two components are in same phase and coherent with each other.

Partially polarized light is like a natural light, only the amplitude of E Vector is not same,
thats why it is known as partially polarized light.

Depending upon the magnitude of E vector, we define degree of polarization for

partially polarized light.

Methods of Polarization

Selective absorption.

By reflection of light.

By refraction of light

By double refraction

By scattering of light.

SELECTIVE ABSORPTION
 Many crystalline materials absorb more light in one incident plane than other, so that
light progressing through material become more and more polarize as it passes through
it. This is called selective absorption.

Polaroid sheets or polarizer are the optical elements, which use technique of selective
absorptions to convert unpolarized light into polarized light.

These sheets are fabricated as:-a clear plastic sheet of polyvinyl alcohol is heated and
then stretched in one direction many time to their original length.

During stretching PVA molecules align themselves in the direction of stretching. The
sheet is then laminated to a rigid sheet to stabilize the size.

Then it is exposed to Iodine vapour. The iodine atoms attached themselves to the long
chain of PVA and forms long conducting chains.

Iodine atom provide free electrons, which can move easily along the chain but not
perpendicular to the chain.

When light incident then the component parallel to chain is strongly absorbs due to
dissipative effects of electrons.

Only component which is perpendicular to molecular chain is transmitted, so the

transmitted light is polarized.
REFLECTION


When light incident on Brewsters angle, the reflected beam is completely polarized and
refracted beam is partially polarized.

This method is not advantageous as the intensity of reflected light is very less.

On bright sunny day the glare caused by sunlight on road, water and snow field, which
almost blind us, is plane polarized light.