Chapter 4 Polarization University of Michigan（第四章极化密歇根大学）.pdf

Physics 341 Experiment 4 1 Chapter 4 Polarization 4.1 Introduction Polarization generally just means “orientation.” It comes from the Greek word pol os, for the axis of a spinning globe. Wave polarization occurs for vector fields. For light (electromagnetic waves) the vectors are the electric and magnetic fields, and the light’s polarization direction is by convention along the direction of the electric field. Generally you should expect fields to have three vector components, e.g. (x,y,z), but light waves only have two non-vanishing components: the two that are perpendicular to the direction of the wave. In this experiment, we will be concerned with the polarization of light. The most elegant tests of quantum mechanics have been performed by measuring correlations of the polarization of photons from atomic transitions. This is beyond the scope of these experiments, but its good to keep in mind that some of natures thornier problems are lurking in the corners. Electromagnetic waves are the solutions of Maxwell’s equations in a vacuum : # % E = 0 # % B = 0 !B # E = $ (4.1) !t !E # B = 0µ 0 !t In order to satisfy all four equations, the waves must have the E and B fields transverse to the propagation direction. Thus, if the wave is traveling along the positive z-axis, the electric field can be parallel to the +x-axis and B-field parallel to +y .