An easy method to determine the plane of polarization of a light beam - PhysLab

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An easy method to determine the plane of polarization of a light beam

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Many a time, we need to determine the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light. This could simply be the light issued from a laser or emerging from a polarizer. We utilize a simple method which we describe below and demonstrate in the accompanying video.

We prepare a solution of 4.5 micron polystyrene microspheres. We have about 100 million spheres in one mL. We take about 5 mL of this solution inside a cuvette or glass vial. Laser light traverses this solution and we view the glow emerging from the vial at right angles to the propagation direction. P polarized (or horizontally polarized) light will be absent from the scattered ray at this viewing angle. This results in diminished glow.

If the input beam is S or vertically polarized, the scattered ray at 90 degrees will be of maximal intensity. Intermediate glows can be seen for mixtures of horizontal and vertical. This separation of polarizations in scattered and transmitted light is in fact important in imparting colors to the atmosphere.

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Overview
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    • Alumni
    • Open Positions
    • Muhammad Sabieh Anwar (Personal)
  • Academics
    • Lab Courses
    • Lab-I (ENGG-100/PHY-100/200)
    • Lab-II (PHY 300/500)
    • AstroLAB
    • Ibn Sahl Corner for Optics
    • Fast Optics
    • Smart Physics
    • Single Photon Quantum Mechanics Lab
    • Chasing Cosmic Ray Muons at Physlab
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    • Research Stories
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    • Courses Taught
    • Class Demonstrations
    • PhysDiary
    • Health and Safety
    • Lab Safety
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    • Research Themes
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    • Research Stories
    • Physics WorldCup
      • International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) 2019
      • International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) 2018
      • International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) 2016
    • Hunerkada
    • Grants
    • Theses and Reports
    • Scientific Publications
    • Invited Talks (Selected)
  • Outreach
    • Media
      • Lectures, Podcasts and Interviews
      • Videobytes
      • YouTube Channel
      • Visitors
      • Testimonials
    • The Scientific Mind Through the Eyes of a Physics Experimenter
    • National Laboratory Immersion Program
      • First Lahore 2012
      • Second Sukkur 2013
      • Third Lahore 2014
      • Fourth Lahore 2016
    • Labview Workshop 2016
    • Open house
      • 2009-2015
      • Open house 2023
    • Khwarizmi Science Society
    • Helping Pakistan’s Universities
      • National University of Technology (NUTECH) 2019
      • Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences
        (PIEAS) 2019 (Final Phase)
      • Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences
        (PIEAS) 2019 (Phase 2)
      • Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences
        (PIEAS) 2018 (Phase 1)
      • National University of Science & Technology 2016
      • Habib University 2014
      • Preston University 2013
      • Ghulam Ishaque Khan Institute of
        Engineering Sciences and Technology 2011
      • Institute of Space Technology 2010
    • The National STEM School
      • STEM School (2018 – 2019)
      • STEM school (2016 – 2017)
    • Abdus Salam Memorial Lecture Series
  • Facilities
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    • Devices & Softwares
      • PhysPlot
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