ABSTRACT
Polarization refers to the trace of the extremity of an electric field vector as a function of time in a fixed space as seen back from the propagation direction. If the extremity of the electric field vector traces linear, it is called a linearly polarized wave. If the trace is circular, the wave is circularly polarized. The shape of the trace can be linear, circular, elliptical, or even oriented elliptical. In addition, the clockwise or anticlockwise direction of the rotation enriches the directional polarization pattern. Each one of them represents the polarization state of the wave. It should be noted that polarization is not a field vector. There are several ways to represent the polarization state of a wave. In this chapter, we deal with wave polarization. Starting from Maxwell’s equation, we assess the fundamentals of plane electromagnetic waves and how to represent polarization states using vector notation as well as geometrical parameters.
