ingo wrote:
> 
> in <3A528654.CD0AB098@online.no> Tor Olav Kristensen wrote:
> >
> >Very clear illustrations of the phenomena,
> >but what is a 1/4 lambda plate ?
> >
> 
> A quarter wave plate is made out of a birefringed material (thin plates of
> mica). A birefringed material makes light of orthogonal polarizations
> traverse the material at different velocities. One wavefront will be ahead
> of the other by a distance that depends on the thicknes of the material.

> wave plate.
> It is for example used to determine wether you have circular polarized
> light or a combination of linear- and  non-polarized light.
> 
> >I didn't know that minerals had these properties as well.
> >Did you use some kind of (semi-)transparent minerals ?
> >Do you know of any "everyday" mineral materials that I
> >could use for experimenting ?
> >And what are "schliffs" ?
> 
> To start with the latter, "schliffs" are higly polished and very thin
> slices of stone/mineral. If you make them thin enough you can look throug
> every stone. In for example a granite there are several minerals, each
> with its own optical properties. In polarized light each will show in a
> different colour and density.

Thank you very much for explaining Ingo.

I wish I had such "stuff" to play with.


> Attatched a micrograph of Asperine in polarized light. Cant find the
> colour print :(

Nice - I would love to see such images in colours !


Tor Olav
-- 
mailto:tor### [at] hotmailcom
http://www.crosswinds.net/~tok/tokrays.html

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