Question

A monochromatic laser beam of intensity Io = 659 W/m2 is polarized in the y-direction and propagates in the positive z-direction. This beam is incident upon a quarter-wave plate whose fast axis makes an angle of 45 degrees with the x-axis as shown. Following the quarter-wave plate are two polarizers; the transmission axis of the first polarizer is aligned with the x-axis, while the transmission axis of the second polarizer makes an angle of θ1 = 72 degrees with the positive x-axis.


1)
What is Imid, the intensity of the beam immediately following the polarizer whose transmission axis is aligned with the x-axis?

2)
What is Ifinal, the intensity of the beam immediately following the last polarizer?

3)
What is the ratio of Ey,final, the maximum value of the y-component of the electric field immediately following the last polarizer, to Eo, the amplitude of theelectric field oscillations in the incident polarized beam?

4)
The positions of the quarter-waveplate and the last polarizer are now interchanged. What is Ifinal,new, the intensity of the beam after passing through the new arrangement of the two polarizers and the quarter-wave plate?

5)
What is the polarization of the beam immediately following the quarter-wave plate?

a). Right Circularly Polarized
b). Left Circularly Polarized
c). Linearly polarized at 45 degrees to the positive x-axis.
d). Linearly polarized at 135 degrees to the positive x-axis.

6)
Suppose you are free to rotate θ1, the transmission axis of the initial polarizer. How many values of θ1, 0 ≤ θ1 < 180o, will produce a final intensity of zero after the quarter-wave plate?

a). None
b). One
c). Two

Answer 1

Somebody answer this godforsaken problem