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.

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    The ray of intensity which is polarized in a plane perpendi- (pitar to the plane of incidence, will give rise to a reflected ray of intensity \w , and a refracted ray of intensity at the hrst surface, where w= tan Now consider first only the light polarized in the plane of in- cidence. 1 he ray refracted into the first plate is divided up at its second surface into an internally reflected ray of intensity 4(1 v^)v^ and a refracted ray of intensity 4(1 ' A similar division will take place at each surface with every successive internally reflected ray. The intensity of the light passing out of the plate on the side on which it entered will be 4(1—+ + and therefore the whole intensity of the reflected beam is 4v® + 4(l—+ + &c.) 2 I ^ l+v^^S 2 l+«2 Hence the plate is intensity of the beam which is refracted through the 1/ 2v^ \_l l-v^ 2r l+v^)~ 2' l+v^’ no light being supposed to be absorbed by the plate. Let the part which is reflected be represented hj ; then the portion which passes through will be represented by 4(1 — ^^). Now consider the action of the second plate on this portion, which has been refracted by the first plate. The successive re- flections and refractions by the two plates will be of the same character as the successive reflections and refractions by the two surfaces of the first plate j also the intensities of the portions reflected and refracted by the two plates will bear the same rela- tion to k^, that the intensities of the portions reflected and re- fracted from the two surfaces bear to v^. Therefore as the intensity of the beam refracted through the two surfaces was changed from 1 1 l-v^ 2 2' so the intensity of the beam refracted through two