PHYSICS FOR IIT-JEE (MAIN & ADVANCED)

Er. SHRAVAN KATIYAR

POLARISATION OF LIGHT

Light propagates as transverse EM waves. The magnitude of electric field is much larger as compared
to magnitude of magnetic field. We generally prefer to describe light as electric field oscillations.
(1) Unpolarised light : The light having electric field oscillations in all directions in the plane perpendicular to
the direction of propagation is called Unpolarised light. The oscillation may be resolved into horizontal
and vertical component.

Direction of
propagation
Direction of propagation Vertical oscillation Horizontal
oscillation
(2) Polarised light : The light having oscillations only in one plane is called Polarised or plane polarised light.
(i) The plane in which oscillation occurs in the polarised light is called plane of oscillation.
(ii) The plane perpendicular to the plane of oscillation is called plane of polarisation.
(iii) Light can be polarised by transmitting through certain crystals such as tourmaline or polaroids.
(3) Polaroids : It is a device used to produce the plane polarised light. It is based on the principle of selective
absorption and is more effective than the tourmaline crystal.
or
It is a thin film of ultramicroscopic crystals of quinine idosulphate with their optic axis parallel to each
other.
Polaroid

Plane polarised light

(i) Polaroids allow the light oscillations parallel to the transmission axis pass through them.
(ii) The crystal or polaroid on which unpolarised light is incident is called polariser. Crystal or polaroid
on which polarised light is incident is called analyser.

P A P A

No light

Ordinary light Polarised light Polarised light Ordinary light Polarised light

Transmission axes of the polariser and analyser are parallel to Transmission axis of the analyser is perpendicular to
each other, so whole of the polarised light passes through the polariser, hence no light passes through the
analyser analyser

Note: When unpolarised light is incident on the polariser, the intensity of the transmitted polarised light is half
the intensity of unpolarised light.
(4) Malus law : This law states that the intensity of the polarised light transmitted through the analyser varies
as the square of the cosine of the angle between the plane of transmission of the analyser and the plane
of the polariser.

Career Crave Education Center, 117/N/8, KAKADEO, Kanpur | Ph.:-7408677555, 8881000073, 09161000073
Page#1
 Intensity = I0
P A
Amplitude = A

Ii Intensity = I

Amplitude = A

(i) I  I0 cos 2  and A 2  A 02 cos 2   A  A 0 cos 

I0 A  A 0
If  = 0°, I  I 0 , A  A 0 , If  = 45°, I  , , If  = 90°, I  0 , A = 0
2 2
(ii) If Ii  Intensity of unpolarised light.
Ii
So I0  i.e. if an unpolarised light is converted into plane polarised light (say by passing it through a
2
Ii
plaroid or a Nicol-prism), its intensity becomes half. and I  cos 
2

2
(I max  I min )
Note: Percentage of polarisation  (Imax  I min )
 100

(5) Brewster’s law : Brewster discovered that when a beam of unpolarised light is reflected from a
transparent medium (refractive index =), the reflected light is completely plane polarised at a certain
angle of incidence (called the angle of polarisation  p ).
Unpolarised Plane
Also µ = tan p Brewster’s law polarised light
light P P
(i) For i < P or i > P
Both reflected and refracted rays becomes partially
polarised Partial
(ii) For glass Q p  57 , for water Q p  53  polarised
light
Polarisation by reflection

(6) Optical activity and specific rotation : When plane polarised light passes through certain substances, the
plane of polarisation of the light is rotated about the direction of propagation of light through a certain
angle. This phenomenon is called optical activity or optical rotation and the substances optically active.
If the optically active substance rotates the plane of polarisation clockwise (looking against the direction of
light), it is said to be dextro-rotatory or right-handed. However, if the substance rotates the plane of
polarisation anti-clockwise, it is called laevo-rotatory or left-handed.

Polariser Analyser Laevo-rotatory

Substance

Unpolarised light Polarised light dextro-rotatory

Polarimeter

The optical activity of a substance is related to the asymmetry of the molecule or crystal as a whole,
e.g., a solution of cane-sugar is dextro-rotatory due to asymmetrical molecular structure while crystals
of quartz are dextro or laevo-rotatory due to structural asymmetry which vanishes when quartz is
fused.

Career Crave Education Center, 117/N/8, KAKADEO, Kanpur | Ph.:-7408677555, 8881000073, 09161000073
Page#2
 Optical activity of a substance is measured with help of polarimeter in terms of ‘specific rotation’ which
is defined as the rotation produced by a solution of length 10 cm (1 dm) and of unit concentration (i.e. 1
 
g/cc) for a given wavelength of light at a given temperature. i.e., []t C  o where  is the rotation
LC
in length L at concentration C.
(7) Applications and uses of polarisation :
(i) By determining the polarising angle and using Brewster’s law, i.e. = tanP, refractive index of dark
transparent substance can be determined.
(ii) It is used to reduce glare.
(iii) In calculators and watches, numbers and letters are formed by liquid crystals through polarisation of
light called liquid crystal display (LCD).
(iv) In CD player polarised laser beam acts as needle for producing sound from compact disc which is
an encoded digital format.
(v) It has also been used in recording and reproducing three-dimensional pictures.
(vi) Polarisation of scattered sunlight is used for navigation in solar-compass in polar regions.
(vii) Polarised light is used in optical stress analysis known as ‘photoelasticity’.
(viii) Polarisation is also used to study asymmetries in molecules and crystals through the phenomenon
of ‘optical activity’.

EXERCISE :
Polarization of Light
1. The angle of incidence at which reflected light is totally polarized for reflection from air to glass (refraction index n) is :
1  1  1  1 
(a) sin 1 (n) (b) sin  n  (c) tan  n  (d) tan–1 (n)
   
2. Through which character we can distinguish the light waves from sound waves
(a) Interference (b) Refraction (c) Polarisation (d) Reflection
3. Which of following can not be polarised
(a) Radio waves (b) Ultraviolet rays (c) Infrared rays (d) Ultrasonic waves
4. A polaroid is placed at 45o to an incoming light of intensity I0 . Now the intensity of light passing through polaroid after
polarisation would be :
(a) I0 (b) I0/0 (c) I0/4 (d) Zero
5. Plane polarised light is passed through a polaroid. On viewing through the polaroid we find that when the polariod is given one
complete rotation about the direction of the light, one of the following is observed
(a) The intensity of light gradually decreases to zero and remains at zero
(b) The intensity of light gradually increases to a maximum and remains at maximum
(c) There is no change in intensity (d) The intensity of light is twice maximum and twice zero
6. Out of the following statements which is not correct
(a) When unpolarised light passes through a Nicol’s prism, the emergent light is elliptically polarised
(b) Nicol’s prism works on the principle of double refraction and total internal reflection
(c) Nicol’s prism can be used to produce and analyse polarised light (d) Calcite and Quartz are both doubly refracting crystals
7. A ray of light is incident on the surface of a glass plate at an angle of incidence equal to Brewster’s angle  . If  represents the
refractive index of glass with respect to air, then the angle between reflected and refracted rays is
(a) 90   (b) sin 1 ( cos  ) (c) 90o (d) 90o  sin 1 (sin  / )
8. Figure represents a glass plate placed vertically on a horizontal table with a beam of unpolarised light falling on its surface at
the polarising angle of 57o with the normal. The electric vector in the reflected light on screen S will vibrate with respect to the
plane of incidence in a
(a) Vertical plane
(b) Horizontal plane
(c) Plane making an angle of 45o with the vertical 57° 57°
S
(d) Plane making an angle of 57o with the horizontal

Career Crave Education Center, 117/N/8, KAKADEO, Kanpur | Ph.:-7408677555, 8881000073, 09161000073
Page#3
9. A beam of light AO is incident on a glass slab (  1 . 54 ) in a direction as shown in figure. The reflected ray OB is passed through
a Nicol prism on viewing through a Nicole prism, we find on rotating the prism that B
A N
(a) The intensity is reduced down to zero and remains zero
33° 33°
(b) The intensity reduces down some what and rises again O
(c) There is no change in intensity
(d) The intensity gradually reduces to zero and then again increases
10. Polarised glass is used in sun glasses because
(a) It reduces the light intensity to half an account of polarisation (b) It is fashionable
(c) It has good colour (d) It is cheaper
11. In the propagation of electromagnetic waves the angle between the direction of propagation and plane of polarisation is

(a) 0o (b) 45o (c) 90o (d) 180o

12. The transverse nature of light is shown by
(a) Interference of light (b) Refraction of light (c) Polarisation of light (d) Dispersion of light
13. A calcite crystal is placed over a dot on a piece of paper and rotated, on seeing through the calcite one will be see
(a) One dot (b) Two stationary dots (c) Two rotating dots (d) One dot rotating about the other
14. In a doubly refracting crystal, optic axis is a direction along which
(a) A plane polarised beam does not suffer deviation (b) Any beam of light does not suffer any deviation
(c) Double refraction does not take place
(d) Ordinary and extraordinary rays undergo maximum deviation
15. Which is incorrect with reference to polarisation by reflection
(a) The degree of polarisation varies with the angle of incidence
(b) Percentage of the polarising light in the reflected beam is the greatest at the angle of polarisation
(c) Reflected light is plane polarised in the plane of incidence
(d) Reflected light is plane polarised in the plane perpendicular to plane of incidence
16. Two polarising plates have polarising directions parallel so as to transmit maximum intensity of light. Through what angle must
either plate be turned if the intensities of the transmitted beam is to drop by one-third
(a) 55o18' (b) 144o22' (c) Both of these (d) None of these
17. The polaroid is
(a) Celluloid film (b) Big crystal
(c) Cluster of small crystals arranged in a regular way (d) Cluster of small crystals arranged in a haphazard way
18. Light from the cloudless sky is
(a) Fully polarised (b) Partially polarised (c) Unpolarised (d) Can not be said

ANSWER KEY
Objective :
1. d 2. c 3. d 4. b 5. d 6. a 7. c
8. a 9. d 10. a 11. a 12. c 13. d 14. c
15. c 16. c 17. c 18. d

Career Crave Education Center, 117/N/8, KAKADEO, Kanpur | Ph.:-7408677555, 8881000073, 09161000073
Page#4