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Thermodynamics

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Plane of Polarization

When ordinary light is passed through a tourmaline crystal, the light is polarized and vibrations are confined to only one direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light. This is plane polarized light and has acquired the property of one-sidedness. The plane of polarization is that plane which in no vibrations occur. The plane ABCD in fig. is the plane of polarization and the plane in which vibrations occur is known as the plane of vibration. The plane EFGH in fig. is the plane of vibration.

Ordinary light from a source has very large number of wavelengths. Moreover, the vibrations may be linear, circular or elliptical. From our idea of wave motion circular or elliptical vibrations consist of two linear vibrations at right angles to each other and having a phase difference of π/2.

Therefore any vibration can be resolved into two component vibrations at right angles to each other. As light waves are transverse waves the vibrations can be resolved into two planes xx’ and yy’ at right angles to each other and also perpendicular to the direction of propagation of light.

In fig. the vibrations of the practices are represented parallel (arrow heads) and perpendicular to the plane of the paper (dots). In fig. the vibrations are shown only parallel to the plane of the paper. In fig. the vibrations are represented only perpendicular to the plane of the paper.