ABSTRACT
The propagation of an obliquely incident light can be resolved into the normal component and tangential component of the boundary surface and the physical meaning of this phase delay is easy to understand when the normal component of the reflection is taken into consideration. This chapter is concerned with the reflection and refraction of the plane wave, TE-polarized light (s wave) and TM-polarized light (p wave) were defined from the relationship of the electric field vector and the dielectric boundary surface. It explains the state of the polarization is derived from its relationship with the refractive index, and the functions of a quarter-wave plate and a half-wave plate, which are commonly used as polarization state control devices for free-space optical beam. The chapter also explains Stokes' parameter and Jones matrix for a more unified mathematical explanation of the polarization state.
