Elliptical polarization: Difference between revisions

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In [[electrodynamics]], '''elliptical polarization''' is the [[polarization]] of [[electromagnetic radiation]] such that the tip of the [[electric field]] [[vector (geometry)|vector]] describes an [[ellipse]] in any fixed plane intersecting, and [[Surface normal|normal]] to, the direction of propagation. An elliptically polarized wave may be resolved into two [[linear polarization|linearly polarized wave]]s in [[Quadrature_phase|phase quadrature]] with their polarization planes at right angles to each other.

InOther termsforms of thepolarization, mathematicalsuch representation of an electromagnetic wave,as [[circular polarization|circular]] and [[linear polarization]], can be considered to be special cases of elliptical polarization.

Elliptical polarization, along with another polarization type called [[circular polarization]], can be considered to be part of a broader category called helical polarization. Helical polarization encompasses all electromagnetic radiation in which the electric field vector describes a helical path (i.e. exhibits [[chirality (physics)|chirality]]). For classification purposes, because the electric field vector of [[linear polarization|linearly polarized]] electromagnetic radiation propogates in a plane, it does not exhibit chirality and therefore does not fall into the helical polarization family.

In terms of the mathematical representation of an electromagnetic wave, [[circular polarization]] and [[linear polarization]] can be considered to be special cases of elliptical polarization.

[[Image: Elliptical_polarization_schematic.png|right|Elliptical polarization diagram]]