Is Circular Polarisation the Same as Linear Polarisation?

[Ezio3.1415]

I have read about polarisation... just a little ques about concept...

in case of circular polarisation there is 90 degree phase difference between the two v and h, e field component... right...

and in case of linear polarisation the e field is restricted to oscillate in only one plane... right?

I think I am right about linear polarisation... It should be cause the linear polariser allows only one component of v and h ,to pass through... so there will be either v or h component passing through...

And can u tell me of some real life examples of linear and circular polarisation
? I know how they work... how malus's law works... just some real life examples... like why the new mobilenphones use circular polariser...(I heard I phone /pad has it...)

 

[barryj]

Polaroid sunglasses are vertically polarized because glare from the sun is horizontally polarized.
The 3D Polaroid glasses are circularly polarized, at least the pair I have is.

 

[Ezio3.1415]

I didn't understand your 1st example... How will we observe light then? the polaroid won't let any E component pass... so light won't too...

what does a circular polariser makes anything look like? for say,if u look at me,how will I look like?

and my concept is correct,right?

 

[barryj]

In general, sunlight has all polarizations. Light reflected from a road, for example, when you are looking into the sun, or if you are a fisherman looking at the water into the sun, much, but not all,of the reflected light is horizontally polarized. The vertically polarized sunglasses will reduce the glare more than the other light.

Circular polarized light looks the same as looking through regular sunglasses. However, when you have a pair of circular poloroid lenses, rotating them makes a difference as well as flipping them.

 

[Nickie]

I can confirm that your understanding of polarisation of light is correct. In circular polarisation, the electric field oscillates in a circular motion with a 90 degree phase difference between the vertical and horizontal components. This is achieved by using a quarter-wave plate, which converts linearly polarised light into circularly polarised light.

In contrast, linear polarisation restricts the electric field to oscillate in only one plane. This is achieved by using a polarising filter, which allows only one component (vertical or horizontal) to pass through. This results in a linearly polarised beam of light.

Some real-life examples of linear polarisation include the use of polarising sunglasses to reduce glare from reflective surfaces such as water or snow. LCD screens also use linear polarisers to control the amount of light passing through the screen, resulting in the display of images or text.

Circular polarisation is commonly used in optical communication systems, where it helps to reduce interference and improve signal quality. It is also used in 3D glasses for movies, where different circularly polarised images are shown to each eye to create the illusion of depth.

As for the use of circular polarisers in mobile phones, it is believed that they are used to improve the visibility of the screen in bright sunlight. The circular polariser helps to reduce glare and reflections, making the screen easier to see. This is particularly useful for devices with touch screens, as it allows for better visibility and accuracy when using the device outdoors.