Ordinary light and monochromatic light

[Borek]

For each SINGLE ray/photon/wave - whatever we decide to call it - fields vibrate in such a way that B is perpendicular to E and both are perpendicular to K. But if we take collimated light (that is, all have the same K) it doesn't mean B of one photon is parallel to B of another photon - they can be at any angle. We can filter the light to separate all photons of parallel Bs (this will also make their Es parallel) - that will be what we call polarized light.

 

[gracy]

Can you post the picture of electromagnetic wave vibrations in case of light? I tried to find it but failed.

 

[Borek]

What is wrong with the one you posted? It looks perfectly OK to me.

 

[gracy]

What is wrong with the one you posted? It looks perfectly OK to me.

But these vibrations aren't in all possible planes perpendicular the direction of wave propagation (vector K)

 

[Borek]

But these vibrations aren't in all possible planes perpendicular the direction of wave propagation (vector K)

Well, you liked the post where I have explained what is going on:

For each SINGLE ray/photon/wave - whatever we decide to call it - fields vibrate in such a way that B is perpendicular to E and both are perpendicular to K.

This is a picture of a single photon, you have quite a number of photons moving in the same direction, every one with its own E/B fields perpendicular to each other, but not parallel to the fields of other photons. While technically it is possible to draw a thousand photons, each at its own angle, such a picture won't be in any way better.

 

[gracy]

every one with its own E/B fields perpendicular to each other

And also perpendicular to the direction of motion of wave.

 

[essemcee]

You need to watch the Cosmos with Neil deGrasse Tyson and understand that these discoveries were paramount in the evolution of science. The wave theory was "seen" by Isaac Newton by splitting light with a prism, and infrared was discovery by accident by Herschel (control thermometer). The true nature of spectroscopy wasn't discovery until Fraunhofer magnified the spectrum, seeing the gaps between the spectral colors and to his amazement seeing a code in nature on an elemental level. On the other side, Faraday discovered the effect electromagnetism had on light (observed light pass through glass, a dielectric while creating a magnetic field), which was later backed mathematically by Maxwell. Later Einstein's Nobel prize work on the photoelectric effect put all of this work together and boom, solar panels 50 years later!

"Just as there's a gap between observing something and knowing how it works, there's a gap between knowing how something works and being able to do anything useful with it. "-https://[URL='http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/einstein-didnt-win-a-nobel-for-relativity-he-won-it-for-this/380451/']www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/einstein-didnt-win-a-nobel-for-relativity-he-won-it-for-this/380451/[/URL]

 

[DrDu]

Gracy,
maybe the analogy to sound is helpful. Sound is also propagating waves. If you press just one key on a piano, you will get approximately a "monochromatic" wave. If you play an accord, this corresponds to polychromatic light (Btw. note, that "chromatic" has a completely different meaning in music). White light is best compared to the noise coming off a radio which is not set to some radio station. So there are lots of frequencies or sound wavelength whose intensity changes quite erratically. In air, the sound waves are just compressions and expansions of the air, so sound waves have no polarisation. In solids, there can also be transversally polarised sound, i.e., the medium is shifted perpendicularly to the propagation direction, just like when you wiggle a rope. Light, at least in air or vacuum, is always perpendicularly polarised. In former times, people thought that electromagnetic waves are carried by a medium too, which they called aether, but gradually they found out, that no such medium exists and that what oscillates in light is the strenght of electric and magnetic fields.