Field guide to polarization
By: Edward Collett
Contributors: Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers
Series: SPIE field guides -- v. FG05
Publisher: SPIE
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Bellingham, Wash
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] /
Number of pages: 134
ISBN-13: 9780819478207; 9780819458681
Subjects: Polarization (Light)
Other titles: Guide to polarization; Polarization; SPIE digital library.; SPIE eBooks.
Description: The polarization of light is one of the most remarkable phenomena in nature and has led to numerous discoveries and applications. The nature and mathematical formulation of unpolarized light and partially polarized light were not readily forthcoming until the 1950s, when questions about polarized light and the mathematical tools to deal with it began to be addressed in earnest. As a result, there is a very good understanding of polarized light today.<br><br>The primary objective of this Guide is to provide an introduction to the developments in polarized light that have taken place over the past half-century and present the most salient topics of the subject matter such as Mueller matrices, Stokes polarization parameters, and Jones matrices.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 128-129) and index.
Table of contents: title: Glossary; title: The foundations of polarized light; title: The ray theory of light; title: The polarization of light; title: Malus's law; title: Brewster's law; title: The wave theory of light; title: Fresnel's wave theory; title: The polarization ellipse; title: Degenerate polarization states; title: The parameters of the polarization ellipse; title: The Poincaré sphere; title: Degenerate states on the Poincaré sphere; title: The observables of polarized light; title: The Stokes polarization parameters; title: Stokes parameter relations; title: Classical measurement of the Stokes parameters; title: The Mueller matrices for polarizing components; title: Polarizers; title: Wave plates; title: Rotators; title: Mueller matrices for rotated components; title: Mueller matrix applications : Malus's law; title: Mueller matrix applications : the optical shutter; title: Mueller matrix applications : Stokes parameters; title: The observable polarization sphere; title: Plotting the quarter-wave plate on the OPS; title: The rotating quarter-wave plate; title: The Babinet-Soleil compensator; title: Linear and circular polarizers; title: The generation of elliptically polarized light; title: Measurement methods of the Stokes parameters; title: The rotating quarter-wave plate measurement; title: Birefringent crystals and wave plates; title: Multiple and zero-order wave plates; title: Reflection and transmission; title: Mueller matrices for reflection and transmission; title: Reflection and transmission Stokes parameters; title: Reflection and transmission Mueller matrices; title: Total internal reflection; title: The Fresnel rhomb.; title: Single and multiple dielectric plates; title: Pile of polarizing dielectric plates; title: Fresnel's reflection and transmission coefficients; title: Other polarization matrix calculi; title: The Jones matrix calculus; title: Wolf's coherency matrix calculus; title: Optical activity and optical rotation; title: Faraday rotation; title: Optical isolators; title: Depolarizers; title: Wave plate depolarizers; title: The Lyot crystal depolarizer; title: Polarizing materials; title: Polarizers; title: Polarizing prisms; title: Characterizing polarizers; title: Wave plate materials; title: Superposition and decomposition of polarized beams; title: Incoherent superposition and decomposition; title: Incoherent decomposition-ellipses; title: Coherent superposition and decomposition; title: The electro-optical effect; title: The electro-optical effect : modulators; title: The Pockels cell; title: Refractive index measurements; title: Incidence refractive index measurement; title: The radiation field; title: Maxwell's equations; title: The radiation equation and the Stokes parameters; title: The linear oscillating bound charge; title: The randomly oscillating bound charge; title: A charge moving in a circle; title: A charge moving in a magnetic field; title: The classical Zeeman effect; title: Optical scattering; title: The optics of metals and semiconductors; title: Refractive index and absorption coefficient; title: Incidence angle reflectivity; title: Complex reflection coefficients; title: The principal angle of incidence measurement; title: Appendix. Equation summary; title: Notes; title: Bibliography; title: Index.