Reflectance and Transmittance of Light in Water-Glass Interface

In summary, the problem involves a block of glass with a refractive index of 1.5 being placed in water. Randomly polarized light is incident on the glass at a 53 degree angle to the normal. The task is to determine the percentage of p-polarized light that is reflected off the glass and the percentage of total incident power that is transmitted in the glass. The solution involves using the reflectance equation R% = Pr^2/Pi and finding Pr and Pi, which can be done using the Brewster's angle formula and possibly a Fresnel equation. The randomly polarized light is assumed to have equal amounts of p- and s-polarized light, and the Brewster's angle is found to be
  • #1
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Homework Statement



There's a block of glass and it has a refractive index n = 1.5 and it is put in water.
Randomly polarized light is incident from the water towards the glass at an angle of 53 degrees to the normal.

a) what % p-polarized (part) of the em wave (light) is reflected off the glass? and the % of total incident power of the light is transmitted in the block?




Homework Equations



so my solution I guess is

The Attempt at a Solution



R% (reflectance) = Pr^2/Pi
Hence then if you find Pr , using Pr equation, and Pi but I don't know... how to find those
do I have to derive them?
 
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  • #2
Okay, so I don't know how to proceed on this problem

I figure the randomly polarized light has 50% p-polarized and 50% s-polarized so I guess I would figure out the Brewster's Angle.

using

[tex]\tan(\Theta_{B})=\frac{n_{2}}{n_{1}}[/tex]

which gives approximately 49 degrees

do I then use a Fresnel Equation? and then some how find the amount of p-polarized? and that happens to be out of 50 which then is out of 100%?
 
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Related to Reflectance and Transmittance of Light in Water-Glass Interface

1. What is the difference between reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface?

Reflectance refers to the amount of light that is bounced off the surface of the water-glass interface, while transmittance refers to the amount of light that passes through the interface.

2. How does the angle of incidence affect the reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface?

The angle of incidence, or the angle at which the light hits the interface, can affect the amount of light that is reflected or transmitted. As the angle of incidence increases, the amount of light that is reflected also increases, while the amount of light that is transmitted decreases.

3. What is the role of the refractive index in reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface?

The refractive index, which is a measure of how much a material bends light, plays a crucial role in the reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface. The larger the difference in refractive index between the two materials, the more light will be reflected at the interface.

4. Are there any other factors that can affect the reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface?

Yes, there are several other factors that can influence the reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface. These include the wavelength of the light, the thickness of the glass, and the roughness of the interface.

5. How is the reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface measured?

The reflectance and transmittance of light in a water-glass interface can be measured using a spectrophotometer, which measures the amount of light that is reflected and transmitted at different wavelengths. Other methods, such as using a photometer or a laser, can also be used to measure these values.

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