© Kumar, Vineet 1

February (2019)

Article
E-mail: 1Vineet05k@gmail.com,
2
Vkumar05@kuk.ac.in

Optical Field Polarization

VINEET KUMAR
Department of Physics
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi,
Text Date: 10 Feb. 2019 [Page 1 of 2]

Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India

(Date textdate; Revised textdate; Submitted textdate)

Light as manifestation of electromagnetic wave123 requires 3 orthogonal vectors to describe the

dynamics of it; that is electric vector ⃗ = ⃗ (⋁ , ⋁ ), magnetic vector ⃗ = ⃗(⋁ ,⋁ )
and Poynting vector ⃗ = ⃗(⋁ , ⋁ ); which can collectively over bases Ɣ , Ɣ and Ɣ determine
the complex vector function ⃗ as ⃗(⋁ , ⋁ ) ≝ Ɣ ⃗ + Ɣ ⃗ + Ɣ ⃗ where ⃗ ≡ α ⃗,
⃗ ≡ β ⃗ and ⃗ ≡ γ ⃗ with α, β and γ as respective coefficients. ⋁ = ( , ⋯ , ), ⋁ =
( , , , ⋯ ) and ⋁ Ɣ = (Ɣ , Ɣ , Ɣ ) are required sets. ⋁ is space-time coordinate with =
. Here bases Ɣ , Ɣ and Ɣ of ⃗ for vectors ⃗, ⃗ and ⃗ respectively are alike for instance the unit
vectors ,̂ ̂ and of ⃗ which does not allow the sum of its , and , similarly with iota as imaginary
symbol of complex number.
Function ⃗ = ⃗(⋁ , ⋁ ) irrespective of the base Ɣ as ⃗ = ⃗ (⋁ , ⋁ ) contains
information of electric and magnetic not directly employs as the same for polarization description of
light but on the ⃗ only. As the light dynamics, not solely complete by ⃗ but collectively by both ⃗
and ⃗ about the propagation vector then a question arise, why: (1) ⃗ , (2) ⃗ along with ⃗ as ⃗ not
also consider for the polarization description of light other than ⃗ . Polarization the fundamental
property of light investigated first by Erasmus Bartholinus in 16694 is the dynamical feature of light
that nowadays have many important application in communication, cryptography etc.
If and are the phases of pair of plain waves describe by ( + ) and + for two
components of ⃗ along and axes respectively with propagation in direction then +

1
Maxwell, J.C.: A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 155, 1 January
(1865) http://www.bem.fi/library/1865-001.pdf
2
Hertz, H.: On the Finite Velocity of Propagation of Electromagnetic Actions (Sitzungsbr. d. Berl. Akad. d.
Wiss. Feb. 2, 1888. Wiedemann’s Ann. 34), English Translation by D.E. Jones
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Hertz%2C%20Heinrich%2C%201857-
1894
3
Sadiku, M. N. O.: Principles of Electromagnetics, pp. 377, 4 th edition 21 st impression 2015, ISBN-13: 978-0-
19-806229-5
4
Goldstein, D.: Polarized Light, ch.3, 4 & 5, 2 nd edition, 2003,

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