ABSTRACT
Circularly polarized light The electric component of light (Section Q1) may be described as a wave that is propagated in the y-direction and oscillates, sinusoidally in the yz plane (Figure 1). It is equally correct to depict this oscillation taking place in the yx plane, or indeed any direction perpendicular to the propagation axis. This is what occurs in unpolarized light. If all but one of these oscillations were to be blocked (by the use of a polarizer) then light would be produced with a single oscillation path, this is plane polarized light (Section E3). Circularly polarized light is produced when two beams of plane polarized light are generated that oscillate perpendicular to each other and 90∞ out of phase with each other (Figure 1). These waves superimpose to produce a ‘wave’ that is helical/circular in nature. If however the two beams are unequal in amplitude the superposition results in a wave that has an elliptical shape; hence elliptically polarized light.
