experiments >> the gyroscope experiment
Malus' Law
French physicist, Malus, who discovered that light, when reflected, becomes partially plane polarized; i.e., its rays vibrate in the same plane. His observation led to a better understanding of the propagation of light.
Light waves are transverse: that is, the vibrating electric vector associated with each wave is perpendicular to the direction of propagation. A beam of unpolarized light consists of waves moving in thesame direction with their electric vectors pointed in random orientations about the axis of propagation. Plane polarized light consists of waves in which the direction of vibration is the same for all waves. In circular polarization the electric vector rotates about the direction of propagationas the wave progresses. Light may be polarized by reflection or by passing it through filters, such as certain crystals, that transmit vibration in one plane but not in others.
The basic principle behind the Malus' Law is that linear, polarized light passes through a polarization filter. Transmitted light intensity is determined as a function of the angular position of the polarization filter.
Related topics are:
› Electric theory of light
› Polarization
› Polarizer
› Analyzer
› Brewster's law
› Malus' law
The experiments that may be carried out with this experimental setup are:
- The plane of polarization of a linear, polarized laser beam is to be determined.
- The intensity of the light transmitted by the polarization filter is to be determined as a function of the angular position of the filter.
- Malus’ law must be verified.
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experiments >> the gyroscope experiment
