Miscellaneous: Practice Problem & Solution
Unpolarised light is incident from air on a plane surface of a material of refractive index '$\mu$'. At a particular angle of incidence '$i$', it is found that the reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular to each other. Which of the following options is correct for this situation? (2018)
Solution Explained:
To solve this problem, we apply the core principles of Miscellaneous. Understanding the underlying formula is key to arriving at the correct answer below:
When reflected and refracted rays are perpendicular, the light is incident at Brewster's angle, $i = \tan^{-1}(\mu)$. At this angle, the reflected light is completely plane-polarized with its electric field vector perpendicular to the plane of incidence.
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