
POLARIZED LIGHT 153
• If the second index is lower, light incident beyond the critical angle is reected
100% for both polarizations. There is an angle-dependent phase difference between
the polarizations.
6.5 PHYSICS OF POLARIZING DEVICES
Although the concepts of polarizers, wave plates, and rotators discussed in Section 6.2 are
simple to understand, there are many issues to be considered in their selection. There are a
large number of different devices, each with its own physical principles, applications, and
limitations. Here we discuss some of the more common ones.
6.5.1 Polarizers
An ideal polarizer will pass one direction of linear polarization ...