A half-silvered mirror is a type of mirror that reflects about half of the light that hits it and allows the other half to pass through. This is achieved by coating the surface of the mirror with a thin layer of metal, usually silver, that is only partially reflective.
A half-silvered mirror polarizes light by reflecting the electric field component of the light waves that are perpendicular to its surface, while allowing the magnetic field component to pass through. This separates the light into two beams with perpendicular polarizations.
The principle behind polarization by half-silvered mirror is based on the fact that the electric and magnetic fields of light waves are perpendicular to each other. By selectively reflecting one component of the electric field, the mirror can create two beams of light with perpendicular polarizations.
Polarization by half-silvered mirror is commonly used in scientific experiments to manipulate the polarization of light. It can be used to create polarized light for experiments that require it, or to analyze the polarization of incoming light by measuring the intensity of the reflected and transmitted beams.
No, a half-silvered mirror cannot be used to completely block out light. It will always reflect some amount of light and transmit the rest. However, by adjusting the thickness of the coating and the angle of incidence, it is possible to achieve a high degree of polarization and significantly reduce the intensity of the transmitted beam.