Polarizing Light through Two Filters

[thiefjack]

Hello, all.

I have a general question related to something I read in a book right now. Not taking a course so I have no professor to ask, so I come to you all!

To speed things up, I have this image I took from the book:

My question is if the analyzer's polarizing axis was an arbitrary theta from the vertical, then E perpendicular would still lie on it's axis, right? As long as it wasn't perpendicular.

I'm having a hard time visualizing this for some reason.

 

[voko]

E perpendicular is by definition taken perpendicularly to the analyzer's axis, no matter how the latter axis is oriented.

 

[rude man]

Say the analyzer's axis is at angle θ where θ is measured clockwise from the vertical, same as with phi, the polarizer axis angle. Then the electric field vector at the analyzer output would be oriented as θ with magnitude cos(θ - phi). In your illustration, θ = 0.