Polarization of light is the act of arranging radiation waves so that they oscillate in a single direction only. In general terms, light waves are free to vibrate in any direction while polarized light waves only vibrate in one specific plane or direction. Polarization is used in different applications including designing of sunglasses that reduce glare, enhancing photography, and investigating of properties of different materials. Read the below article for a better understanding of the polarization of Light.
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Polarization of light refers to the alignment of the light waves so that they vibrate in a single direction. Light waves normally osciilate in all directions as they move. But when the light is polarized, these vibrations are restricted to one direction only thereby making the light very much organized.
If a light wave is linearly polarized along the $x$-axis, its electric field $\mathbf{E}$ can be written as:
$$
\mathbf{E}=E_0 \cos (k z-\omega t) \hat{i}
$$
Where:
$E_0$ : Amplitude
$k$ Wave number
$\omega$ : Angular frequency
$t$ : Time
$\hat{i}$ : Unit vector along the $\boldsymbol{x}$-axis
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Depending upon transverse and longitudinal wave movement, the polarization of light is classified into three types.
Linear polarization: A linearly polarized light wave means that the electric field vibrates in a certain linear direction perpendicular to the wave axis, and the magnetic field vibrates in a direction that is perpendicular to both, the advancement axis and direction of the electric field.
Circular polarization: It is the type of polarization in which at every point, the electromagnetic field has a constant magnitude, but its direction rotates with a constant value in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the wave.
Elliptical polarization: It is the type of polarization where the tip of the electric field vector defines an ellipse in any fixed plane traversing, as well as is normal to the direction of propagation.
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There are a few methods used in the polarization of light:
Polarization by Transmission: This method utilizes Polaroid sheets which only allow vibrations in one direction to pass through.
Polarization by Reflection: When unpolarized light is reflected at Brewster's angle, the reflected light is Polarized light.
Polarization by Scattering: Scattering of light in the atmosphere can cause partial polarization.
Polarization by Refraction: Light is passed through certain crystals (like calcite or quartz) and splits into two beams with perpendicular polarization directions (birefringence).
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