The Third Polarization of Light

HTML  XML Download Download as PDF (Size: 816KB)  PP. 29-32  
DOI: 10.4236/opj.2015.52004    5,316 Downloads   6,544 Views  Citations
Author(s)

ABSTRACT

We are all taught that there are only two polarizations of light because Maxwell’s equations only support two polarizations. This is mathematically true for the electromagnetic fields, but we have learned since the days of Maxwell that the “real” electromagnetic field is not the electromagnetic field tensor Fμv (composed of Electric and Magnetic field terms) but rather the electromagnetic vector potential Aμ. When considered carefully, this requires a third polarization of light with very unusual properties. This third polarization of light does not generate electric or magnetic fields but should be detectable by its impact on supercurrents or quantum interference. It is also unavoidable since it automatically appears under Lorentz transformations to different moving frames.

Share and Cite:

Hutchin, R. (2015) The Third Polarization of Light. Optics and Photonics Journal, 5, 29-32. doi: 10.4236/opj.2015.52004.

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.