To determine the degree of polarization in the case of a ray of common light falling obliquely on and being reflected or refracted by a bundle of parallel plates / by W.G. Adams.

  • Adams, W. Grylls (William Grylls), 1836-1915.
Date:
[1871?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: To determine the degree of polarization in the case of a ray of common light falling obliquely on and being reflected or refracted by a bundle of parallel plates / by W.G. Adams. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

    10/14 (page 8)
    That the reasoning from the analogy between plates and re- fractive surfaces is correct will readily appear; and the law of intensities may at once be deduced. Consider only the ray of intensity \ which is polarized in the plane of incidence. ^ is reflected by the first plate^ and •|(1 —A®) is refracted through it. Of this latter portion, which falls on a third refracting surface, (1 — v^) is refracted and is reflected; so that ^(1 —/c^)(l—is the intensity of the refracted portion, and of the reflected portion. In these are included all the rays arising from the successive internal reflections inside the plate which take place before reflection by the third surface. The reflected portion ^ — k^) falls upon the first plate; and the portion of it refracted by the plate is \v^{\. — k’^Y, the por- tion I’eflected being — A®). These portions include all the rays, however internally reflected, which have only been once reflected by the third surface. The reflected portion — A®) falls on the third surface; and 1 w^A‘^(l —A®) is reflected back to the plate, while ^i;®A®(l—A^)(l—V®) is refracted through the surface; similar reflections and refractions take place; and the whole intensities of the refracted beams will be 1(1—A^)(l +i;^A®-t-?;''A‘‘+ &c.} =1(1 - A^) (1; of the reflected beams will be iv2 + i(l-A2). + = I ■ Of the portion i(l-A^) which falls on a second refracting plate, the intensity of the reflected portion will be lA^(l-A^), and of the refracted portion i(l-A^)^ In these are included all the rays, however internally reflected which have only been once reflected at the outside of the first surface of the second plate. The portion again reflected by the first plate is lAni-A), and the portion refracted is lA^(l-A^)^.