Circularly polarized light through a polarimeter

In summary: The Jones matrix is a mathematical operation that describes the polarization state of light when it is passed through an optical element, such as a polarizer. It is named after the physicist E. H. Jones, who developed it in the early 1920s.In summary, the Jones matrix can be used to calculate the polarization state of light when it is passed through an optical element.
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lcr2139
62
1
What happens when circularly polarized light goes through a polarimeter? In my experiment the polarimeter is made up of two crossed PEMs and a polarizer.
 
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  • #2
Also, what about linearly polarized light?
 
  • #3
how does the angle of the polarizer fit into this problem?
 
  • #4
lcr2139 said:
What happens when circularly polarized light goes through a polarimeter?

Interestingly, a monochromatic linearly polarized light beam can be considered as a superposition of two circularly polarized electromagnetic waves that are propagating in the same direction with the same frequency but the opposite sense of rotation. see the animation of circularly polarized light ...

see the details<http://ja01.chem.buffalo.edu/~jochena/research/opticalactivity.html> [Broken]
it may help...
 
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  • #5
lcr2139 said:
What happens when circularly polarized light goes through a polarimeter? In my experiment the polarimeter is made up of two crossed PEMs and a polarizer.

What kind of polarimeter/ellipsometer? Also, what is a PEM?
 
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a polarizer is made up of 2 PEMs and a polarizer. It is not a single optical element. A PEM is a photoelastic modulator.
 
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The first part is probably a typo. If a polarizer includes a polarizer, you will have an infinite regression. :)
But what do you mean by crossed PEMs?
 
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crossed PEMs mean that one is at 0 degrees and the other is at 45 degrees.
 
  • #9
lcr2139 said:
What happens when circularly polarized light goes through a polarimeter? In my experiment the polarimeter is made up of two crossed PEMs and a polarizer.
If you know how a linearly polarized light is affected by a polarimeter, extending it to circularly polarized light is not too difficult.
 
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crossed PEMs mean that one is at 0 degrees and the other is at 45 degrees.
What feature of the PEM is at these angle?
 
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lcr2139 said:
a polarizer is made up of 2 PEMs and a polarizer. It is not a single optical element. A PEM is a photoelastic modulator.

Zoiks... sounds complicated.

Well, the easiest way to proceed is to write out the Jones matrix for the instrument. I'm not sure what the Jones matrix is for an oriented PEM, but my guess is that it is similar to an elliptic retarder

http://spie.org/Publications/Proceedings/Paper/10.1117/12.429559
https://books.google.com/books?id=y...&q="jones matrix" "elliptic retarder"&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_calculus#cite_note-5
 

1. What is circularly polarized light?

Circularly polarized light refers to light waves that vibrate in a circular motion. Unlike linearly polarized light, which vibrates in a single plane, circularly polarized light rotates as it travels. It can be either right-handed (clockwise rotation) or left-handed (counterclockwise rotation).

2. How is circularly polarized light produced?

Circularly polarized light can be produced through various methods such as passing linearly polarized light through a quarter-wave plate or using specialized filters. Another way is by using specialized lasers that emit circularly polarized light directly.

3. What is a polarimeter?

A polarimeter is a scientific instrument used to measure the amount and type of polarization in light. It consists of a polarizer, an analyzer, and a detector. It can determine the polarization state of light, including whether it is linear or circularly polarized.

4. How does a polarimeter measure circularly polarized light?

A polarimeter measures circularly polarized light by passing it through a polarizer, which only allows light waves to pass through in a specific direction. The analyzer then detects the intensity of the light, and by comparing it to the intensity of linearly polarized light, it can determine the degree of circular polarization.

5. What are the applications of circularly polarized light and polarimeters?

Circularly polarized light and polarimeters have various applications in scientific research and technology. They are used in fields such as astronomy, microscopy, telecommunications, and materials science. They can also be used to analyze the structure and properties of molecules and study the behavior of light in different environments.

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