LIGHT & OPTICS · LAB 24

Polarisation laboratory

Arrange polarisers and wave plates on an optical bench and watch the electric field, polarisation ellipse and transmitted intensity change.

OUTPUT STATELINEAR

ADD

Drag components along the bench · select one to change its angle

Electric fieldMagnetic fieldPolarisation ellipse

TRANSMITTED—

detector intensity

POLARISATION—

—

ANGLE / ELLIPTICITY—

—

STOKES—

—

FIELD—

normalised Ex / Ey

WHAT TO NOTICE

Direction controls transmission

A polariser selects one electric-field direction. Two ideal crossed polarisers block light, but placing a third between them can restore transmission. Wave plates change relative phase, converting linear, circular and elliptical states.

I = I₀ cos² θS = (S₀,S₁,S₂,S₃)

Educational Jones-vector model using idealised optical elements.