Polarization & rainbows

About plane polarization & rainbows

• Plane polarization is one of the optical effects that account for the appearance of rainbows.
• Plane polarization, also known as linear polarization, is a characteristic of electromagnetic waves, including light.
  • When an electromagnetic wave is plane polarized, the electric field remains fixed in a particular direction as the wave propagates. As a result, the light oscillates on a single plane, hence the name.
• The polarization of light in rainbows contributes to the vividness and intensity of the colours we see.
• The light that produces rainbow effects is typically 96% polarized. This means that:
  • Observed light exiting a raindrop is polarized on a plane bisecting each droplet and tangential to the arcs of the rainbow.
• The presence of other atmospheric phenomena, such as water droplets of varying sizes or ice crystals, can affect the amount of plane polarization and so influence the appearance of rainbows.