Polarized Light and Quantum Spin

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of electromagnetic radiation with spin zero. It is clarified that this means a superposition of left- and right-handed photons with equal amplitude, resulting in light with linear polarization. The question also raises the topic of ordinary incoherent light and its phase, which is undefined in unpolarized light. It is explained that while EM radiation can have a net zero polarization, individual photons always have spin +/-1 due to their masslessness.
  • #1
ImaLooser
489
4
Can there be EM radiation with spin zero?

I don't mean that the sum of all spins is zero, as it usually is. My thinking is that all light spins and usually the left and right component is of equal intensity.

Am I correct in thinking that light reflecting off of a suitable horizontal surface, like water, is horizontally polarized because the left and right spinning components reinforce on the horizontal plane and cancel in the vertical plane?
 
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  • #2
You can have a superposition of left- and right-handed photons with equal amplitude, this gives light without (net) spin, right. It has a linear polarization.
 
  • #3
mfb said:
You can have a superposition of left- and right-handed photons with equal amplitude, this gives light without (net) spin, right. It has a linear polarization.

OK, so now I'm trying to understand ordinary incoherent light. With polarized light the phase is defined. Is the phase undefined or superposed in ordinary unpolarized light?
 
  • #4
Unpolarized light just consists of photons of all polarizations without any specific order.
 
  • #5

FAQ: Polarized Light and Quantum Spin

1. What is polarized light?

Polarized light is a type of light in which the electric field of the light waves is confined to a single plane. This means that the light waves are all oscillating in the same direction, rather than in all directions like in normal light.

2. How is polarized light created?

Polarized light can be created through various methods, such as passing normal light through a polarizing filter or reflecting light off a surface at a specific angle. It can also occur naturally through scattering, such as when sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere.

3. What is quantum spin?

Quantum spin is a fundamental property of subatomic particles, such as electrons, that describes their intrinsic angular momentum. It is not the same as literal spinning, but rather a quantum mechanical property that allows particles to have a magnetic moment and interact with external magnetic fields.

4. How is quantum spin related to polarized light?

Polarized light and quantum spin are closely related because the direction of the electric field in polarized light is determined by the spin of the particles that created the light. This is because the spin of particles affects their polarization state, which in turn affects the polarization of the light they emit or scatter.

5. What are the applications of polarized light and quantum spin?

Polarized light and quantum spin have many important applications in fields such as telecommunications, microscopy, and quantum computing. They are also used in various scientific instruments, such as polarimeters and spectropolarimeters, to study the properties of materials and analyze their structures.

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