When ordinary light is incident on the upper surface of a glass slab a...
The correct answers are: Reflected light is completely plane polarized with vibration perpendicular to the plane of incidence, Reflected light is partially polarized having vibration both in plane of incidence as well as perpendicular to plane of incidence
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When ordinary light is incident on the upper surface of a glass slab a...
When ordinary light is incident on the upper surface of a glass slab at the polarizing angle, the reflected light is completely polarized with vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence. This phenomenon can be explained by the process of polarization and the laws of reflection.
Polarization:
Polarization refers to the alignment of the electric field vector of an electromagnetic wave in a specific direction. Ordinary light consists of electromagnetic waves with randomly oriented electric field vectors in all directions perpendicular to the direction of propagation. When light undergoes polarization, the electric field vectors are aligned in a specific direction.
Laws of Reflection:
The laws of reflection state that when a light wave encounters a boundary between two different media, such as air and glass, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. The plane of incidence is the plane containing the incident ray and the normal to the surface.
Explanation:
1. When ordinary light is incident on the upper surface of a glass slab at the polarizing angle, the angle of incidence is such that the reflected light becomes completely polarized.
2. At the polarizing angle, the reflected light is polarized because the electric field vectors of the incident light wave are aligned parallel to the plane of incidence.
3. The vibrations of the electric field vectors parallel to the plane of incidence are completely reflected, while the vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence are partially transmitted into the glass slab.
4. This selective reflection of light with vibrations parallel to the plane of incidence results in the reflected light being completely polarized with vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence.
5. The transmitted light into the glass slab is also partially polarized, but its polarization direction is perpendicular to the reflected light.
6. Therefore, the correct answer is option 'D' - the reflected light is completely polarized having vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence.
In conclusion, when ordinary light is incident on the upper surface of a glass slab at the polarizing angle, the reflected light is completely polarized with vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence due to the selective reflection of light with parallel vibrations.