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_PJ_
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As the title! :)
khemist said:Meaning you could only polarize the light in the way it was already polarized?
No. If a photon passes a polarizing filter, it acquires the polarization determined by the filter. If that is different from the original polarization, only a fraction survives the filter, though.khemist said:Meaning you could only polarize the light in the way it was already polarized?
_PJ_ said:However, if a photon already has undergone polarisation, note that polarising does not necessarily restrict the polarity to a singular, definite degree, but a range of values, which are affected by quantum probabilities. Also, being a quantum effect, polarised photons can have their polarisation history 'erased' if no observation is made.
No. An unpolarized photon is a uniform mixture of all possible polarization directions - not superposition. It becomes polarized f it passes a polarization filter.dentedduck said:I think that the real question is, what does it mean for a photon to _not_ have a polarization? My understanding is that the quantum mechanical description of an unpolarized photon would be one where the quantum state is in a superposition of different states such that an ensemble measurement would yield each polarization 50% of the time.
dentedduck said:Wouldn't that be the semiclassical description? A fully QM description would need to define a quantum state for the photon and that would be a superposition state.
dentedduck said:I don't know about polarization states being "erased". Not sure what that means.
Polarization of a photon is the direction of the electric field oscillation of the photon. It is a characteristic property of light and can be used to describe how the light waves are oriented in space.
Yes, a single photon can be polarized. In fact, all photons are polarized to some extent. However, the degree of polarization may vary depending on the source of the photon and the direction of propagation.
A photon can be polarized through various methods such as reflection, refraction, scattering, and birefringence. These processes involve changing the direction of the photon's electric field oscillations, resulting in a polarized photon.
Polarized photons have several applications in science and technology. They are used in polarized filters, optical communication, and in studying the properties of materials. Polarized photons also play a crucial role in quantum mechanics experiments.
Yes, the polarization of a photon can be changed. This can be achieved through various methods, such as passing it through a polarizer or using a birefringent material. In some cases, the polarization of a photon can also be changed by altering its path or direction of propagation.