Lab - Polarization

Soundtrack excerpt:
T^th STL: SPCL Waves Module
Measure: Polarized or non-polarized waves; polarizer, analyzer.
- Produce and analyze polarized light.
- Associate the polarization of an electromagnetic wave with the direction of the electric field.
- Determine a concentration from measuring the deviation of the plane of polarization of light in a solution.

Using the energy carried by waves
Polarization.
- Associate the polarization of an electromagnetic wave with the direction of the electric field.
- Experimentally differentiate linearly polarized light from non-polarized light using a polarizer.
- Experimentally illustrate the principle of a liquid crystal display.

Introduction:
Light is an electromagnetic wave. Its polarization is characterized by the orientation of the electric (or magnetic) field in the plane perpendicular to the propagation.
Polarization can be approached in several steps. Initially, the student becomes familiar with the equipment and concepts of polarization:
- differentiate between polarized and non-polarized light,
- determine the maximum intensity of polarized light,
- how to analyze polarized light,
- highlighting the different types of polarization using retardation plates.

In a second step, these methods are applied to the discovery of phenomena based on polarization: in chemistry with chiral molecules, in physics with an LCD sensor.