The polarization of light and the Malus' law using smartphones

TL;DR

This paper presents an accessible, low-cost method using smartphones and screens to experimentally verify Malus' law and demonstrate the polarization of light, making optics experiments more accessible.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, simple setup utilizing smartphones and computer screens to verify Malus' law, enhancing educational accessibility in optics.

Findings

Successful verification of Malus' law using smartphone sensors.

Demonstration of polarized light properties with inexpensive equipment.

Potential for widespread educational use in optics experiments.

Abstract

Originally an empirical law, nowadays Malus' law is seen as a key experiment to demonstrate the transverse nature of electromagnetic waves, as well as the intrinsic connection between optics and electromagnetism. In this work, a simple and inexpensive setup is proposed to quantitatively verify the nature of polarized light. A flat computer screen serves as a source of linear polarized light and a smartphone (possessing ambient light and orientation sensors) is used, thanks to its built-in sensors, to experiment with polarized light and verify the Malus' law.