What is the effect of a quarter-wave plate on polarized light?
Correct Answer: A quarter-wave plate converts linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light.
- Step 1: Understand that polarized light is light that vibrates in a specific direction.
- Step 2: Know that a quarter-wave plate is an optical device that can change the properties of polarized light.
- Step 3: Realize that the quarter-wave plate introduces a phase shift, which means it changes the timing of the light waves.
- Step 4: Specifically, the quarter-wave plate creates a phase shift of 90 degrees (or one-quarter of a wavelength).
- Step 5: When linearly polarized light passes through the quarter-wave plate, this phase shift transforms it into circularly polarized light.
- Step 6: Circularly polarized light means that the light waves rotate in a circular motion instead of just moving back and forth.
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