Polarizer

A light wave that is vibrating in more than one plane is referred to as unpolarized light. Light emitted by the sun, by a lamp, or by a candle flame is unpolarized light. We can transform unpolarized light into polarized light. Polarized light waves are light waves in which the vibrations occur only in a single plane. There are a variety of methods of polarizing light. The most common method of polarization involves the use of a Polarizer. A Polarizer is able to polarize light because of the chemical composition of the filter material. The filter can be thought of as having long-chain molecules that are aligned within the filter in the same direction. During the fabrication of the filter, the long-chain molecules are stretched across the filter so that each molecule is aligned in say the vertical direction. As unpolarized light strikes the filter, the portion of the waves vibrating in the vertical direction are absorbed by the filter. The general rule is that the electromagnetic vibrations that are in a direction parallel to the alignment of the molecules are absorbed.