Polarization of light

Basic Information:

Light
a transverse electromagnetic wave

Unpolarised Light Polarised light

oscillations of electric oscillations of electric

fields are occurring in fields are occurring in
all possible directions a particular direction

Unpolarised light Polarised light

Polarizer
 Polarization of EM wave
Direction of E-polarization

Polarizer or polaroid:
A system that allows one direction
• Light is considered polarized along Electric field of E-vibration unperturbed.
Allows other polarizations as well,
• Unpolarized light has random polarization direction but with reduced intensity

An unpolarized light is polarized

by a polaroid

The polarised wave may be

blocked by making pass-axis of
the polaroid perpendicular to
direction of polarization
 Malus’ Law
(=I/2)
I

1) The 1st polarizer is used to polarize unpolarised light in a plane

2) The 2nd polarizer (analyzer) is rotated w.r.t. the 1st polarizer by an angle q

Unloparised light through polariser

The intensity of an unpolarized light across a plane polarizer also reduces
following the relation !0 = !$%& ' q, I is the intensity before polarizer

When averaged over all possible angles, the total intensity reduces by half
'
!
!0 = ! < $%& q > =
2
Superposition of two plane polarized wave
! E2y Ex E y Ex 2
ˆ x + ˆjE y
E = iE -2 cos d + = sin 2
d
E 2 y0 Ex 0 E y 0 Ex 0 2

Ex = Ex 0 cos(kz- w t)
This is an equation of ellipse whose
E y = E y 0 cos(kz- w t + d ) major axis is making an angle say α

Ey 2 Ex 0 E y 0 cos d
= cos(kz - w t) cos d - sin(kz - w t) sin d tan 2a =
Ey0 Ex 0 2 - E 2 y 0
Ey Ex Ex 2
= cos d - 1 - 2
sin d y
Ey0 Ex 0 Ex 0 !
E
2
æ E y Ex ö E 2
a
çç - cos d ÷ = sin 2 d - x 2 sin 2 d x
÷
è E y 0 Ex 0 ø Ex 0

E2y Ex E y Ex 2
-2 cos d + = sin 2
d
E 2 y0 Ex 0 E y 0 Ex 0 2
 Linearly polarized
Ex = Ex 0 cos(kz- w t)
E y = E y 0 cos(kz- w t + d )
d = 2mp m = 0,1, 2,3....
y E y = E y 0 cos(kz- w t + 2mp )
Ey Ey0
= E y = E y 0 cos(kz- w t)
x Ex Ex 0
æ Ey 0 ö
q = tan ç -1
÷
E
è x0 ø

d = (2m + 1)p m = 0,1, 2,3....

y Ey Ey0 E y = E y 0 cos(kz- w t + 2mp + p )
=-
Ex Ex 0 E y = - E y 0 cos(kz- w t)
x
æ Ey 0 ö
q = - tan ç -1
÷
E
è x0 ø
 Elliptically polarized At z=0
p E2y Ex 2 Ex = Ex 0 cos(w t)
d = (2m + 1) m = 0,1, 2,3.... + =1
E 2 y0 E y = E y 0 cos(w t - d )
2
2 Ex 0
y y
For p p p
d= ; 5 ;9 ........
2 2 2
Ex = Ex 0 cos(w t) x x
E y = E y 0 sin(w t)

Counter-clock wise rotation

with time
Ex 0 = E y 0
For y y
p p p
d = 3 ; 7 ;11 ........
2 2 2

Ex = Ex 0 cos(w t) x x
E y = - E y 0 sin(w t)
Clock wise rotation with time
Ex 0 = E y 0
 A substance is Optically Active if it rotates
the plane of polarized light.

Optical Activity

Dextrorotatory Levorotatory

Rotation is clockwise Rotation is counterclockwise

Example: Glyceraldehyde Example: D-fructose

 Chiral molecules

Source of image: Wikipedia

There is no set of translation and rotations that can map the

left-hand molecule into the right-hand side molecule
A solution containing one form of such asymmetric molecule
may rotate the plane of polarized light
 Specific rotation [S] of a chiral substance

If 1 is the angle of rotation for a solution of concentration

c and length L, where
• Length (L) measured in dm.
• q is the angle of rotation.
• c measured in gm/cc
1
2 =
34
S is the rotation produced by a column of solution of length 1
decimeter and containing 1 gm of the active substance per cm3
of the solution at a particular temperature and for a given
wavelength of incident light:
S is a function of temperature and wavelength
 Half-Shade Plate
Incident light
polarization

Quartz of thickness such that a Other half made of glass, of

5 adequate thickness so that light
path difference of or a phase
6
intensity is same as coming
difference of 7 is introduced
from the quartz side, when pass
between two perpendicular
axis of analyzer (discussed in
components of electric field, one
the slide 18) lies in the plane of
parallel to optic-axis and
polarization of light coming
another perpendicular to it.
from half-shade plate.
 5
89:;<
6
Input Output
 Half-Shade Plate
Incident light
polarization

=0 ='

Pass axis of analyzer

1> < 16 1> = 16 1> > 16

More Brighter More Brighter

Equal Brightness
 Experimental Setup

Unpolarized Light

Polarized Light

Monochromatic Polarimeter tube

Light Source (optically active substance)

Polarizer ?

Half-shade Plate
Viewer

Plane of polarization rotated

by an angle ?
Analyzer
 Experiment to determine S
• Measure the change in analyzer pass-axis angle between distilled
water and then with sugar solution

• Repeat it for several concentrations of sugar solution

S is determined