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Questions and Answers
What is a Nicol prism?
What is a Nicol prism?
An optical device which is used to produce plane polarised light and it also acts as both polariser and analyser.
What is the principle of a Nicol prism?
What is the principle of a Nicol prism?
Double refraction
What kind of crystal is a Nicol prism made of?
What kind of crystal is a Nicol prism made of?
Calcite crystal
What are the angles of a Nicol prism?
What are the angles of a Nicol prism?
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What is used to paste the two halves of the Nicol prism together?
What is used to paste the two halves of the Nicol prism together?
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What happens to a ray of unpolarized light incident on a Nicol prism?
What happens to a ray of unpolarized light incident on a Nicol prism?
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What is the refractive index of the crystal for the ordinary ray?
What is the refractive index of the crystal for the ordinary ray?
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What is the refractive index of Canada balsam?
What is the refractive index of Canada balsam?
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What happens to the ordinary ray at the layer of Canada balsam?
What happens to the ordinary ray at the layer of Canada balsam?
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What type of light is emitted from the Nicol prism?
What type of light is emitted from the Nicol prism?
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Study Notes
Nicol Prism
- A Nicol prism is an optical device used to produce plane-polarized light. It can also act as both a polarizer and analyser.
- Principle: Double refraction
- Construction: A calcite crystal, cut into two halves along the diagonal, and glued together with Canada balsam. The halves have angles of 72° and 108°.
- Light passing through: Unpolarized light from a monochromatic source enters the Nicol prism.
- Different velocities: Ordinary and extraordinary rays travel at different speeds through the crystal.
- Refractive indices:
- Ordinary ray: Refractive index in the crystal is 1.658
- Extraordinary ray: Refractive index in crystal is 1.486
- Canada balsam: Refractive index is 1.523
- Internal reflection: The ordinary ray is totally internally reflected at the Canada balsam layer.
- Transmission of extraordinary ray: The extraordinary ray passes through the crystal and is plane-polarized.
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Description
Explore the intricacies of the Nicol prism, an optical device essential for producing plane-polarized light. Learn about its construction, the principles of double refraction, and how different refractive indices play a role in its function.
