Question

Unpolarized light passes through two polarizers whose transmission axes are at an angle # with respect to each other. What should be the angle # between the transmission axes of the polarizers if it is desired that one-tenth of the incident intensity be transmitted?

Answer 1

Answer:

$63.4^{\circ}$

Explanation:

When unpolarized light passes through the first polarizer, the intensity of the light is reduced by a factor 1/2, so

$I_1 = \frac{1}{2}I_0$ (1)

where I_0 is the intensity of the initial unpolarized light, while I_1 is the intensity of the polarized light coming out from the first filter. Light that comes out from the first polarizer is also polarized, in the same direction as the axis of the first polarizer.

When the (now polarized) light hits the second polarizer, whose axis of polarization is rotated by an angle $\theta$ with respect to the first one, the intensity of the light coming out is

$I_2 = I_1 cos^2 \theta$ (2)

If we combine (1) and (2) together,

$I_2 = \frac{1}{2}I_0 cos^2 \theta$ (3)

We want the final intensity to be 1/10 the initial intensity, so

$I_2 = \frac{1}{10}I_0$

So we can rewrite (3) as

$\frac{1}{10}I_0 = \frac{1}{2}I_0 cos^2 \theta$

From which we find

$cos^2 \theta = \frac{1}{5}$

$cos \theta = \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}}$

$\theta=cos^{-1}(\frac{1}{\sqrt{5}})=63.4^{\circ}$