Polarization Notes Final

Polarization by reflection and refraction
• When an unpolarized beam of light falls on

boundary, reflected wave and refracted
wave are partially polarized.
• An incident wave is an unpolarized light .
Some of the rays will get reflected and some
gets refracted.
• Most of the light waves that reflected were
polarized waves, which were parallel to the
plane.
• Most of the rays along the refracted ray were unpolarized waves with one or two
polarized components.
• Refracted Ray More unpolarized and Reflected ray more polarized.
• If the angle of incidence varies more and more unpolarized light was able to pass
through the surface.
• At one particular value of angle of incidence there was maximum polarization in
the reflected ray.
• Above and below the value of angle of incidence, both reflected and refracted
rays were partially polarized.
• Brewster’s law:- Brewster’s law states that at any particular angle of incidence,
reflected ray is completely polarized; and the angle between reflected and
refracted ray is 900.
Polaroid Sunglasses
 Polaroid sunglasses are glasses containing lens with polarising filters with transmission
axes that are vertically oriented
o This means the glasses do not allow any horizontally polarised light to pass
through
Polaroid sunglasses contain vertically oriented polarising filters which block out any
horizontally polarised light
 When light is reflected from a reflective surface e.g. the surface of water or a wet road, it
undergoes partial plane polarisation
o This means if the surface is horizontal, a proportion of the reflected light will
oscillate more in the horizontal plane than the vertical plane
 Therefore, polaroid sunglasses are useful in reducing the glare on the surface of the water
(or any reflective surface) as the partially-polarised light will be eliminated by the
polarising filter
 As a result of this, objects under the surface of the water can be viewed more clearly
When sunlight reflects off a horizontal reflective surface, such as water, the light becomes
horizontally polarised. This is where polaroid sunglasses come in useful with their vertically
aligned filter
Stress analysis
Polarized light for stress analysis is used in the same manner. In each case the specimen is
illuminated with polarized light from one side and then observed through Polaroid from the
other.
Stress analysis is important in the design and manufacture of parts for industry. Replicas in
clear plastic are put under stress to highlight weaknesses in molded shapes. The images
produced illustrate the photo-elastic behaviour of the plastic.
Polaroid filters are used to perform stress analysis tests on transparent materials. As light
passes through a plastic, each color of visible light is polarized with its own orientation. If
such a plastic is placed between two polarizing plates, a colorful pattern is revealed. As the
top plate is turned, the color pattern changes as new colors become blocked and the formerly
blocked colors are transmitted. It is known that structural stress in plastic is signified at
locations where there is a large concentration of colored bands. This location of stress is
usually the location where structural failure will most likely occur.
The pattern of the fringes varies with the stress. Polarized light passing through transparent
plastics will reveal stress marks and stress patterns that would not atherwise be apparent to
the naked eye. The plane of polarization of polarized light is rotated by thase transparent
plastics at any location where the plastic is stressed. The amount of rotation depends upon the
wavelength of light. White light consists of various wavelengtis, each associated with a
distinct color. Using a Polaroid filter and rotaing it will reveal stress patterns in various colors
at various angles of rotation.
Polarization by Scattering
 Polarization also occurs when light is scattered while travelling through a medium.
 When light strikes the atoms of a material, it will often set the electrons of those
atoms into vibration.
 The vibrating electrons then produce their own electromagnetic wave that is radiated
outward in all directions.
 This newly generated wave strikes neighbouring atoms, forcing their electrons into
vibrations at the same original frequency. These vibrating electrons produce another
electromagnetic wave that is once more radiated outward in all directions.

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Polarization by reflection and refraction

• When an unpolarized beam of light falls on

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