"Polarization (also polarisation) is a property of transverse waves which specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations."
- The orientation of the electric field of an electromagnetic wave.
Electromagnetic waves: An introduction to the basic properties of electromagnetic waves and their behavior as they travel through space.
Polarization: A concept that describes the orientation of the electric field vector of the electromagnetic wave.
Linear polarization: It is a type of polarization where the electric field is along a single direction.
Circular polarization: It is a type of polarization where the electric field rotates in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Elliptical polarization: It is a type of polarization where the electric field vector traces out an ellipse in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Polarized light: The light which has a specific polarization, meaning that it oscillates in only one plane.
Unpolarized light: The light which has random polarization, and oscillates in all directions perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Polarizing filter: It is a device that can transmit only light of a specific polarization, typically used to block out unwanted reflections or glare.
Malus's law: A quantitative relationship between the intensity of the transmitted light and the angle between the incident and transmitted polarizations.
Brewster's angle: The angle at which there is no reflected light from a surface when incident light has a specific polarization.
Double refraction: Some crystals have two refractive indices, meaning that they can split incident light into two different beams, each with a different polarization.
Wave plates: These are optical devices that can change the polarization of an incident light beam.
Faraday rotation: The rotation of the plane of polarization of light as it passes through a magnetic field.
Polarization microscopy: A technique that uses polarized light to examine the structures and properties of biological and other materials.
Polarimetry: The measurement of polarization properties of light, used to study a wide range of phenomena from atmospheric conditions to chemical interactions.
Linear polarization: The electric field oscillates in one direction only, along a straight line.
Circular polarization: The electric field rotates in a circular motion in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Elliptical polarization: The electric field rotates in an elliptical motion in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
Horizontal polarization: The electric field oscillates in a horizontal direction only.
Vertical polarization: The electric field oscillates in a vertical direction only.
Diagonal polarization: The electric field oscillates in a diagonal direction.
Mixed polarization: The electric field has an irregular pattern of oscillations in multiple directions.
Partial polarization: A mixture of polarizations with one or more dominant components.
Unpolarized: The electric field is randomly oriented in all directions.
Cross polarization: The transmission of waves of one polarization relative to the plane of incidence of another polarization.
Co-polarization: The transmission of waves parallel to the plane of incidence.
"In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the wave."
"In contrast, in longitudinal waves, such as sound waves in a liquid or gas, the displacement of the particles in the oscillation is always in the direction of propagation, so these waves do not exhibit polarization."
"Transverse waves that exhibit polarization include electromagnetic waves such as light and radio waves, gravitational waves, and transverse sound waves (shear waves) in solids."
"By convention, the 'polarization' of electromagnetic waves refers to the direction of the electric field."
"An electromagnetic wave such as light consists of a coupled oscillating electric field and magnetic field which are always perpendicular to each other."
"In linear polarization, the fields oscillate in a single direction."
"In circular or elliptical polarization, the fields rotate at a constant rate in a plane as the wave travels, either in the right-hand or in the left-hand direction."
"Light or other electromagnetic radiation from many sources, such as the sun, flames, and incandescent lamps, consists of short wave trains with an equal mixture of polarizations; this is called unpolarized light."
"Polarized light can be produced by passing unpolarized light through a polarizer, which allows waves of only one polarization to pass through."
"The most common optical materials do not affect the polarization of light but some materials—those that exhibit birefringence, dichroism, or optical activity—affect light differently depending on its polarization."
"Light also becomes partially polarized when it reflects at an angle from a surface."
"According to quantum mechanics, electromagnetic waves can also be viewed as streams of particles called photons."
"The polarization of an electromagnetic wave is determined by a quantum mechanical property of photons called their spin."
"A photon has one of two possible spins: it can either spin in a right-hand sense or a left-hand sense about its direction of travel."
"Circularly polarized electromagnetic waves are composed of photons with only one type of spin, either right- or left-hand."
"Linearly polarized waves consist of photons that are in a superposition of right and left circularly polarized states, with equal amplitude and phases synchronized to give oscillation in a plane."
"Polarization is an important parameter in areas of science dealing with transverse waves, such as optics, seismology, radio, and microwaves."
"Especially impacted are technologies such as lasers, wireless and optical fiber telecommunications, and radar."
"Transverse waves that exhibit polarization include electromagnetic waves such as light and radio waves, gravitational waves..."