POLARIZATION OF LIGHT AND IT’S APPLICATIONS 2
The polarization of light can be defined as the process through which unpolarized light is
transformed into polarized light. Polarized light refers to light rays whose vibration of waves
occurs in a single plane while unpolarized light can be defined as the beam of light whose waves
vibrate in more than one plane.The blue sky is highly polarized. The polarization of the sky
occurs tangentially to the sun. At ninety degrees, maximum polarization occurs, though the level
of polarization can not attain the 100% maximum due to the multiple scattering dust particles as
well as the fact that the dipole oscillators of molecules have not attained perfection. However,
the direct sun rays are not usually polarized due to randomness in the orientation of oscillating
electric fields. The setting and rising of the sun affect the sky polarization such that when the sun
is at sunset, there is a maximum polarization of the sky along the meridian.
The sun itself is not polarized. Polarization occurs to the sun rays when they are refracted and
reflected from the sun after scattering and interacting with other molecules in the sky.
Quantitatively speaking, the photons emitted from the sun lack the property of preferential
polarization. This, therefore, means that the nature of polarization is influenced by the external
factors in the atmosphere. Moreover, the orientation of dipoles from the light emitting atoms
found in the sun is random thus substantiating the lack of temporal correlation of different
polarizations between the photons.
Blue light reflected from a glass table is polarized. Reflection on surfaces such as a glass causes
reflection whose extent depends on the angle of reflection at which the light hits the reflecting
surface made of no metallic material(Zhang & Ning, 2017). The main reason behind the
polarization of light reflected from glass and unpolarization of light reflected from metallic
surfaces is that glass reflects a regular beam whose vibrational direction is distinct while metallic
surfaces reflect light in all directions.
