Light is entering a polarizer or set of polarizers from the left. Determine the

Question

Light is entering a polarizer or set of polarizers from the left. Determine the relative intensity of the light exiting on the right after passing through all of the polarizers. The dashed vertical lines represent the vertical reference. The solid lines represent either the polarization angle of the light or the transmission angle of the polarizer. CW represents clockwise and CCW represents counterclockwise as viewed from the right looking back to the left along the path of the light.

For each problem choose from: Full Intensity, Partial Intensity, or Zero Intensity as your answer.

1.Linearly polarized light with the plane of polarization vertical enters from the left and passes through a single polarizer with the transmission axis oriented horizontally (90° relative to the vertical).

2. Unpolarized light enters from the left and passes through one polarizer with the transmission axis oriented 45° CW relative to the vertical and then through a second polarizer with the transmission axis oriented 45° CW relative to the vertical.

3. Unpolarized light enters from the left and passes through a single polarizer with the transmission axis oriented vertically (0° relative to the vertical).

4. Unpolarized light enters from the left and passes through a single polarizer with the transmission axis oriented horizontally (90° relative to the vertical).

5. Linearly polarized light polarized at an angle 45° CW from the vertical enters from the left and passes through a single polarizer with the transmission axis oriented 45° CW relative to the vertical.

Explanation / Answer

malus law states that:

intensity of polarized light=original intensity of polarized light*cos^2(theta)

where theta is angle between polarized axis and axis of analyzer

for unpolarized light passing through polarizer, intensity will be 1/2.

part 1:
as incident light is polarized, angle=90 degrees

then intensity of output light=I0*cos^2(90)=0

so answer is Zero intensity.

part 2:
intensity of light passing through first polarizer will be halved.
as the input light is unpolarized.

then angle between polarized light's axis and the second polarizer is 0 degrees.

hence intensity will be same as the incident light to the second polarizer.

so answer is partial intensity.

part 3:

as input is unpolarized light, intensity will be halved.
answer is partial intensity.

part 4:
as input is unpolarized light, intensity will be halved.
answer is partial intensity.

part 5:

angle between the polarized light and polarizer is 0.

so intensity will be cos^2(0)=1 times initial intensity

answer is full intensity.

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