Question

11. Explain how the superposition of two polarized ways results in right circularly polarized light.

Answer 1

Suppose you superimpose two linearly polarised electromagnetic waves with the same amplitude and frequency but where there electric field vector in one case oscillates, say in the xz plane, and in the other case it oscillates in the yz plane. Suppose the waves propagate in the z-direction. If the two waves have a phase shift of exactly one quarter of the wavelength. We obtain the light wave where the resulting electric field vector at any point a along the z-direction turns around on a circle either clock-wise or anti clock-wise. This is why we call this light wave circularly polarized.

This is how the superimposition of two plane polarised light results in right circularly polarised light. p