All Questions
Tagged with electromagnetic-radiation optics
712
questions
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69
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Fermat's principle of least time confusion
The link is: https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/I_26.html#Ch26-F3
Hi, I'm reading Feynman's lecture on Optics: The principle of least time, and I'm wondering if I got what he's saying right. For ...
- 13
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1
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106
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Can we say that amplitude of light scattered by air molecules is inversely proportional to the square of wavelength of incident light?
As per Rayleigh's criteria of scattering of light by air molecules the intensity of scattered light is inversely proportional to the forth power of wavelength.
AND WE ALSO SAY :
Intensity of a wave ...
- 1,357
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176
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How to understand the Orbital angular momentum of a photon that is not an integer？
How to understand the topological charge that is not an integer, how would the signal OAM crosstalk if one were to model its transport in turbulence, for example, if the beam carries a topological ...
- 11
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48
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Why does the dust in the sky make the light shine more or in other words it is visible from far away?
Why does the dust in the sky make the light shine more or in other words it is visible from far away?
This image shows how light is scattered in dust particles]1
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79
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How can a laser be narrow?
In my understanding, light works as follows: every point in space where there is light, this light works as a point source. When we progress in time, the light spreads out from there in all directions ...
- 1,440
3
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2
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120
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Is “imperfect black”, (anything other than a black hole or vacuum), actually a color?
Is “imperfect black”, (anything other than a black hole or vacuum), actually a color?
Nothing absorbs all light except for a black whole, or a vacuum which doesn’t reflect light. If we consider black ...
- 31
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2
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64
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Under what conditions do waves stay monochromatic?
Based on my intuition, once light is monochromatic it will stay that way unless you actively try to change its frequency. My intuition stems from the intricate optical laser setups in my lab that ...
24
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4
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Why can't sunlight reach the very deep parts of an ocean?
Sunlight reaches the surface of the ocean and refracts. So it is still there. And its speed is about $225000$ km/s in water which is still incredibly fast. Light is a massless electromagnetic wave. So ...
- 402
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2
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117
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On the level of Newton's particle theory of light
Huygens and Maxwell have wave theories about light.
On the other hand Planck and Einstein have theories about particle nature of light and could explain blackbody radiation and photoelectric effect ...
- 1,409
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2
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183
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Definition(s) of polarization of waves
Is there more than one definition to "polarization" in the context of waves?
In some cases, I've seen the term "direction of polarization", which I presume it refers to the ...
- 185
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37
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Propagation of two non-parallel waves
When a transverse wave is described by the equation, $y=A\sin(kx-\omega t)$,it is immediately meant that the direction of propagation is the $x$ axis with $y$ axis as the displacement. And we know ...
- 1,179
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205
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Meaning of complex-number representation of circular polarization
I am reading the Sakurai's book "Modern Quantum Mechanics". It starts from analogy between electron spin and classical light polarization. So far so good, but I have no idea how and why ...
- 362
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1
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57
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Why are things reflective, absorbent, transparent etc? [duplicate]
What determines whether a material reflects, absorbs or transmits a certain wavelength of light? Just a layman's question.
- 111
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0
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Do uniaxial lossy media rotate the polarization of the extraordinary wave?
I am having problems determining the direction of polarization (of the electric field) of the extraordinary wave in a uniaxial crystal when the media is lossy. I am especially interested in the ...
- 352
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397
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Phase Shifting Beam Splitter
I am trying to make sense of all these answers in: Phase added on reflection at a beam splitter? and web search results. So my understanding is that the actual phase shift depends on the beam splitter ...
- 613