Light Polarization

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How do I get started? Research at Victoria

Polarization of a tightly-focused light beam

Textbook light beams can have perfect polarization, for example totally linearly polarized (which means that the electric vector always points along one fixed direction, everywhere in the beam). Reality is different, in an interesting way: the more tightly focused a light beam is, the more it deviates from perfect polarization, especially in the focus region. The picture shows the polarization of a circularly polarized light beam, in the focal plane. At the very centre (blue) the light is circularly polarized, but it becomes linearly polarized further out. Fortunately the light intensity is greatest in the centre, but not far out the polarization is the opposite of what you would expect!

How do I get started?

Light is an electromagnetic wave, and PHYS 304 gives an introduction to such waves; more details are provided in the Honours papers PHYS 415 and PHYS 416.

Research at Victoria

The polarization picture relates to one of Professor Lekner’s research papers; this paper (number 91) and others may be downloaded from John Lekner’s web site:

http://www.victoria.ac.nz/staff/john_lekner/