Polarized Fresnel Reflection
Optics
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.
-Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy, 1963
In this experiment you will encounter many of the fundamental ways that physicists talk about the interaction between light an matter. More specifically, you will verify a law describing the change in polarization of light after reflecting off of a dielectric.
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This is the prism table. Light will enter from the collimating scope (on the left), graze the prism, and then be collected by the telescope in the foreground. |
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This is the entire setup. Use this picture as a guide if something seems amiss. |
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Note the clear collimating tube behind the collimating scope. Use this target to set up the telescope correctly. |
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