Circularly polarized light

Japanese: 円偏光 - えんへんこう（英語表記）circularly polarized light

When focusing on the vibration of either the electric field component or the magnetic field component of a light wave, light whose vibration direction rotates at the frequency of the light wave in a plane perpendicular to the direction of light propagation and whose amplitude is constant regardless of the direction is called circularly polarized light. If linearly polarized light is incident on the main surface of a quarter-wave plate with the polarization plane tilted at 45 degrees, the light that passes through it becomes circularly polarized. Conversely, if circularly polarized light is incident, linear polarization is obtained. When viewed from an observer standing facing the direction the light beam is traveling, light whose electric field component vibrates clockwise is called right-handed circular polarization, and light whose vibration direction rotates counterclockwise is called left-handed circular polarization.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

光波の電場成分または磁場成分の，どちらか一方の振動に着目するとき，その振動方向が光の進行方向に対して垂直な面内で光波の周波数で回転し，振幅がその向きによらず一定である光を円偏光という。直線偏光を四分の一波長板の主面に偏光面を 45度の傾きで入射させれば，それを通った光は円偏光になる。また逆に円偏光を入れれば直線偏光が得られる。光線が進んでくる方向に向って立った観測者から見て，光波の電場成分の振動方向が時計回りに回転するものを右回り，逆時計回りのものを左回りの円偏光という。

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