Plane of polarization

[Geocentric]

1)I have a basic doubt on polarization. It is given in book that the plane of polarization is perpendicular to the plane of vibration. What was need for defining the plane of polarization to be perpendicular to the plane of vibration? When I searched the internet, I found a site which says that the plane of polarization is the plane in which the magnetic field vector is oscillating and plane of vibration is the plane in which the electric field vector oscillates. In an electromagnetic wave, the electric field vector is perpendicular to the magnetic field vector. Though this sounds to be true, I would like have the opinion of this forum.

[ErlyRisa]

It is confusing isn't it - I have always had trouble with understanding the principal behind it.

 

-I look at it with the same veiw as the 'slit experiment'.

 

--You know the experiment where you shine a beam of light on to a slit to veiw constructive and destructive nodes...

well if you did the same experiment in both horizontal and perpendiculr(vertical) planes, then you may get 'special difractive' patterns.... some of which don't let light through at all, other distances for certain wavelengths letting through only a certain component of a patern

--PS it is the wrong way of perceiving Polarisation,,, but it seems to help me gain somesort of understanding.

 

The other way I look at it...

 

atoms are like these little grid of balls when they form a material. -the grid is 'aligned' akin to domains of a magnetic material. -except in this case the material isn't a magnet, its just transparent to light in one direction but not the other.

 

--an interesting machine would be a bunch of solenoids 'aligned' the right way that it polarises light of X frequency -problem is the light that it would polarise is out of visible range, so turning it on wouldn't have any visible observable qualities. (the solenoids are too big!)

[ronthepon]

1)I have a basic doubt on polarization. It is given in book that the plane of polarization is perpendicular to the plane of vibration. What was need for defining the plane of polarization to be perpendicular to the plane of vibration? When I searched the internet, I found a site which says that the plane of polarization is the plane in which the magnetic field vector is oscillating and plane of vibration is the plane in which the electric field vector oscillates. In an electromagnetic wave, the electric field vector is perpendicular to the magnetic field vector. Though this sounds to be true, I would like have the opinion of this forum.

An EM wave does indeed consist of two waves perpendicular to each other. The magnetic feild vector is always perpendicular to the electric feild vector. The main thing is that the electric feild is supposed to be induced in space by the magnetic feild, and the electric feild that is induced goes on to induce a magnetic feild. This is how the EM wave actually exists for a finite amount of time and travels at a constant velocity.

 

This E induces B and vice versa condition is the reason why the two vectors must be perpendicular.