But he's asking about light passing through polarizers.Claude Bile said:Depends what the polariser is. Polaroids absorb the non-transmitted components, whereas beam splitters for example will transmit one and reflect the other.
Claude.
A polarizer is an optical filter that allows only light waves aligned in a specific direction to pass through it, blocking all other light waves.
A polarizer contains aligned microscopic crystals or molecules that absorb light waves that are not aligned with the direction of the polarizer's polarization axis. This results in a beam of light that is polarized in a single direction.
Polarized light has many practical applications, such as reducing glare and improving visibility in sunglasses, enhancing the contrast in photography and film, and in scientific research to study the properties of light and materials.
No, only certain types of light, such as light waves that vibrate in a single plane (known as plane-polarized light), can be polarized. Light waves from natural sources, like the sun, are unpolarized and contain a mixture of vibrations in all directions.
A polarizer only allows light waves vibrating in a specific direction to pass through, while a regular filter can block or allow light waves of different wavelengths or colors. Polarizers are also usually used in pairs, with one rotating to control the amount of light that passes through, making them more versatile in controlling the properties of light.