Planepolarizers
Planepolarizers are optical devices that transmit light with its electric field oscillating in a specific plane while absorbing light polarized perpendicular to that plane. This selective transmission is achieved through the use of polarizing materials, which can be either dichroic or birefringent. Dichroic polarizers, such as those found in polarized sunglasses, contain long-chain molecules aligned in a particular direction. When light passes through, these molecules absorb photons whose electric fields are parallel to their alignment. Birefringent polarizers, on the other hand, utilize materials that exhibit different refractive indices for light polarized along different axes, effectively splitting the light into two polarized beams and allowing one to be discarded.
The primary function of a planepolarizer is to control the polarization state of light. This is crucial