How to distinguish left-handed polarized light from right-handed polarized light

Light enters from a part of the linear polarizer in the forward direction and enters from one end of the quarter-wave plate in the reverse direction.

The natural light emitted to the circular polarizer passes through the linear polarizer and the quarter-wave plate, and then becomes circularly polarized light.

According to the different relative orientations when the polarization direction of the linear polarizer makes an angle of 45 with the optical axis of quarter-wave plate, right-handed circularly polarized light or left-handed circularly polarized light can be generated.

How to judge whether elliptically polarized light is left-handed or right-handed;

Determining left-handed and right-handed polarized light:

(1) Let the incident light pass through the polarizer P to determine the long axis and short axis directions of elliptically polarized light.

(2) Put a λ/4 piece (δ =+π/2) in front of the polarizer P, so that the optical axis coincides with the long axis or short axis, and establish a coordinate system. The longitudinal axis is the vibration direction of O light, the horizontal axis (horizontal axis) is the vibration direction of E light, and the K axis is the propagation direction of light.

(3) Rotate the polarizer once to find out the extinction position. At this time, the direction perpendicular to the vibration direction of P is the vibration direction of the outgoing polarized light. If linearly polarized light is in one or three quadrants, the incident light is left-handed elliptically polarized light; If linearly polarized light is in two or four quadrants, the incident light is right-handed elliptically polarized light.