Polarisation

Polarised and Unpolarised Light: The light in which the vibration takes place in all possible direction perpendicular to the
direction of propagation of light is called unpolarised light. And the light in which the vibration
takes place in one plane is called polarised light.
The plane in which the vibration of the polarized light takes place is called plane of
vibration. And the plane perpendicular to the plane of vibration is called plane of polarisation.

Unpolarised light
Polarised light

Polarisation due to reflection: It is observed that when a beam of unpolarised light is reflected from a transparent
medium, the reflected light get partially polarised. The degree of polarization as the angle of
incidence increases from zero. At a particular angle of incidence, the reflected light gets
completely polarised. This angle of incidence at which the reflected light gets completely
polarised is called polarizing angle. It is denoted by p. For angle of incidence equal to the
polarizing angle, the reflected beam rays of light and refracted beam rays of light are
perpendicular to each other.
A

pp

Unpolarised light

B
Polarised light

90o

Brewsters Law: - It states that when light is incident at a polarizing angle, the reflected and
refracted rays of light are perpendicular to each other.
p r 90o
r 90o p

According to Snells Law the refractive index of the medium is given by

sin p
sin r
sin p

sin(90o p)

sin p
cos p
tan p

[From equation (1)]

[sin(90o ) cos ]
2

Therefore the Brewsters Law can also be defined as the refractive index of the medium
is equal to the tan of the polarizing angle.]
Optical activity: The property of a substance by virtue of which it rotates the plane of polarisation when a
polarised light is passed through it is called optical activity And the substance having this
property are called optical active substance.
There are two type of optical substance
1. Leveo rotatory
2. Dexto rotatory
1. Leveo rotatory: The substances which rotate the plane of polarisation in anticlockwise direction
are called Leveo rotatory.
2. Dexto rotatory: The substances which rotate the plane of polarisation in clockwise direction are
called Dexto rotatory.
Specific Rotation: - The angle of rotation '' of the plane of polarisation of the unpolarised
light when passed through a substance depends upon
1. The concentration c of the solution or the density of the optical active compound.
Mathematically
1
c
2. The length of the column l of the solution or the length of the optical active
compound. Mathematically
l

3. The temperature T of the solution or the optical active compound.

Therefore for a given temperature the angle of rotation is
cl

S cl

Where S is constant of proportionality and is called specific rotation of the solution or

the optical compound.
Malus Law: It states that the intensity of the polarised light transmitted through the analyser varies as
the square of the cosine of the angle between the plane of transmission of the analyser and the
plane of the polariser.