Polarization by Refraction

It is found that a single glass surface or any similar transparent medium, only a small fraction of the incident light is reflected.

For glass ( = 1.5) at the polarizing angle, 100% of the light vibrating parallel to the plane of incidence is transmitted whereas for the perpendicular vibrations only 85% is transmitted and 15% is reflected. Therefore if we use a pile of plates and the beam of ordinary light is incident at the polarizing angle on the pile of plates, some of the vibrations perpendicular to the plane incidence are reflected by the first plate and the rest are transmitted through it. When this beam of light is reflected by the second plate, again some of the vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence are reflected by it and the rest are transmitted. The process continues and when the beam has transverse about 15 or 20 plates, the transmitted light is completely free from the vibrations at right angles to the plane of incidence and having vibrations only in the plane of incidence. Thus, we get plane polarized light by refraction with the help of a pile of plates, the vibrations being in the plane of incidence as shown in fig.

The pile of plates consists of number of glass plates (microscope cover slips) and are supported in a tube of suitable size are inclined at an angle of 32.5˚ to the axis of the tube. A beam of monochromatic light is allowed to fall on the pile of plates at the polarizing angle. The transmitted light is polarized perpendicular to the plane of incidence and can be examined by a similar pile of plates which works as an analyser.

Note: (i) If light is polarized perpendicular to the plane of incidence, it means vibrations are in the plane of incidence.

(ii) If light is polarized in the plane of incidence, it means vibrations are perpendicular to the plane of incidence.

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