Describe the concept of polarization of light. How can you polarize light, and what are the practical applications of polarized light?
Light is the interaction of electric and magnetic fields travelling through space. The electric and magnetic vibrations of a light wave occur perpendicularly to each other. The electric field moves in one direction and the magnetic field in another ‘perpendicular to each other. So, we have one plane occupied by an electric field, another plane of the magnetic field perpendicular to it, and the direction of travel is perpendicular to both.
These electric and magnetic vibrations can occur in numerous planes. A light wave that is vibrating in more than one plane is known as unpolarized light
Polarized waves are light waves in which the vibrations occur in a single plane.
The process of transforming unpolarized light into polarized light is known as polarization.
Unpolarized light can be polarized by passing it through polarizers. Also there are a few methods used in the polarization of light:
- Polarization by Transmission
- Polarization by Reflection
- Polarization by Scattering
- Polarization by Refraction
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