Polarisierte

Polarisierte is the past participle form of the German verb polarisieren and is used as an adjective to describe something that has undergone polarization. In German, it can function attributively to denote a state in which a property is oriented or divided in a specific way, for example polarisierte Strahlung or polarisierte Elektronen. The related noun Polarisierung (also Polarisation) refers to the process or result of polarization.

In optics, polarisierte Strahlung or polarisierte Licht is light whose electric field oscillates predominantly in a fixed plane. This can occur with linear polarization, circular polarization or elliptical polarization, depending on how the light waves are constrained. Polarization can be produced or analyzed with devices such as polarizers, wave plates and by reflection at certain angles, notably Brewster’s angle. Malus’ law describes how the intensity of linearly polarized light changes when it passes through a second polarizer.

In the social sciences, Polarisierung describes the increasing divergence of opinions or values within a population, leading to more distinct camps or clusters. A polarisierte Debatte is one example where dialogue becomes harder across the dividing lines. Polarization in society can affect political outcomes, media consumption, and social cohesion, and is often measured with surveys or polarization indices.

The term also appears in physics beyond optics, for example in spin polarization, where particles such as electrons have their spin states aligned in a preferred direction. Polarisierte Zustände are important in areas like spintronics and particle accelerator experiments.

Usage notes: Polarisierte is an inflected form of polarisieren used as an adjective. The related noun is Polarisierung (or Polarisation), and the opposing or opposite states may be described with other modifiers such as linear, circular, or unpolarisiert.