When a light is polarized,what happens to its magnetic field?

AI Thread Summary
When light is polarized, its electric field oscillates along a specific transverse axis, while the magnetic field oscillates perpendicular to it. Polarization occurs when unpolarized light passes through a polarizing filter, which absorbs half of the light's energy. Light is an electromagnetic wave, generated through processes like black body radiation, fluorescence, and stimulated emission in lasers. The discussion also touches on the nature of light as a discontinuous flow of quanta, which can lead to quantum noise in weak light detection. Understanding these concepts is crucial for grasping the behavior of polarized light and its electromagnetic properties.
kiru
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When a light is polarized,what happens to its magnetic field?
Also what is light.How it is produced? :confused:
 
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kiru said:
When a light is polarized,what happens to its magnetic field?
Also what is light.How it is produced? :confused:
When unpolarized light goes through a polarizing filter, half of the lights energy is absorbed by the filter (that's the idealized short story). The outcoming light's electric field "oscillates" along one transverse axis. The light's magnetic field still oscillates along along an axis perpedicular to the electric field.

The "picket fence analogy" is usually to blame for this. Polarization of light is not due to light squeezing through tiny gaps in the substance.
 
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Light is an electromagnetic wave, which is a disturbance in an electromagnetic field that propagates at a fixed speed.

Most of the light we observe is due to black body radiation, fluroescence can be put down to spontaneous emission, whereas lasers generate light via stimulated emission.

Claude.
 
Claude Bile said:
Light is an electromagnetic wave, which is a disturbance in an electromagnetic field that propagates at a fixed speed.

Most of the light we observe is due to black body radiation, fluroescence can be put down to spontaneous emission, whereas lasers generate light via stimulated emission.

Claude
I think Oscillating dipole can also produce light.Isn't it?What I wanted is 'Is light a continuous/discontinuous flow of quanta?'
 
The flow is discontinuous. The discontinuous flow manifests itself as quantum noise when attempting to detect weak light sources.

Claude.
 

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