Question Details

An unpolarized light beam travelling in air is incident on a medium of refractive index 1.73 at Brewster's angle. Then-

Options

A

reflected light is completely polarized and the angle of reflection is close to 60°

B

reflected light is partially polarized and the angle of reflection is close to 30°.

C

both reflected and transmitted light are perfectly polarized with angles of reflection and refraction close to 60° and 30°, respectively.

D

transmitted light is completely polarized with angle of refraction close to 30°

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option A

reflected light is completely polarized and the angle of reflection is close to 60°

reflected light is completely polarized and the angle of reflection is close to 60°

Solution :

To find the correct properties of the reflected and transmitted light when unpolarized light is incident at Brewster's angle, we can use the wave theory of light and polarization principles.

First, let's understand Brewster's law. According to Brewster's law, when unpolarized light is incident on the boundary of a medium of refractive index μ at a specific angle called Brewster's angle (θp or ip), the reflected light is completely plane-polarized.

The relation between the refractive index of the medium μ and Brewster's angle ip is given by:
tan(ip)=μ

Given:
Refractive index of the medium, μ=1.73 (which is close to 31.732).

Substituting this value into Brewster's formula:
tan(ip)=1.733

Therefore, the angle of incidence (Brewster's angle) is:
ip=tan-1(3)=60°

According to the laws of reflection, the angle of reflection (r) is equal to the angle of incidence (i):
Angle of reflection = ip60°

Furthermore, by definition of Brewster's angle, the reflected light is completely polarized perpendicular to the plane of incidence, whereas the refracted (transmitted) light is only partially polarized.

Thus, the reflected light is completely polarized and the angle of reflection is close to 60°.

Unlock Our Free Library

Access expert-curated educational resources and study materials—completely free.

Discover more resources

You may also like

Mock Tests

View All
  • JEE
  • intermediate
  • 3 hours
  • chemistry, mathematics, physics
  • Proctored

  • JEE
  • intermediate
  • 3 hours
  • chemical engineering, mathematics, physics

Ask AI Tutor
5 left
Q1 View Question & Options
AI Tutor is solving this question...
Reading question context & options...