Question

Q / A right circular polarized wave falls on a quarter-wave retarder. What is the type of the transmitted polarized wave ? Discus that

Answer 1

When a circularly polorized light falls on quarter wave plate it can be considered as resultant of two coherent plane polorized waves, that is e-ray and o-ray, which are out of phase by 90°. If light passes through the quarter wave plate, an additional phase difference of 90° is introduced between e-ray and o-ray. Therefore total phase difference will become 180° between e-ray and o-ray. On emerging from quarter wave plate , the e-ray and o-ray combine to produce plane polorized light.

Hence transmitted light would be plane polorized light.