According to Malus's Law, what is the intensity I transmitted through an analyzer oriented at angle theta to polarized light of intensity I_i?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. I_i cos^2(theta)
- Step 1: Only the electric field component parallel to transmission axis passes through: E = E_0 cos(theta). Step 2. Since intensity is proportional to E^2, I = I_i cos^2(theta). Answer: I_i cos^2(theta). Why not the others: I_i cos(theta) neglects amplitude squaring; sin^2(theta) measures rejected component; tan(theta) diverges.
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