polarisaatiokulma

Polarisaatiokulma, or the plane of polarization, is the orientation of the electric field vector in a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave. When light passes through a polarizing medium or is reflected from certain surfaces, its electric field oscillations preferentially align with a particular direction. This orientation is quantified by the polarisaatiokulma, usually measured in degrees relative to a reference axis, such as the horizontal or a crystallographic axis in a birefringent material. The concept is fundamental in the study of light-matter interactions, remote sensing, and optical engineering.

The angle is determined by analyzing the interference pattern produced when polarized light enters or exits a birefringent or anisotropic medium. Common techniques include using a rotating polarizer and a detector to record intensity variations, or employing interferometric methods where the phase shift between orthogonal components is measured. In many applications, the polarisaatiokulma is inferred from the orientation of ellipsometric parameters, specifically the ellipsometric angles Ψ and Δ, which encode changes in amplitude and phase for p- and s-polarized light.

Polarization orientation plays a crucial role in display technologies, such as liquid crystal displays, where the controlled manipulation of the polarizaatiokulma enables image formation. In remote sensing, the direction of reflected polarized light informs surface roughness and vegetation indices. Furthermore, polarisation angle is a key parameter in the calibration of optical instruments, and in the study of magneto-optical effects such as the Faraday rotation, where an external magnetic field induces a rotation proportional to the polarisaatiokulma.</details>