Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/paper-2/section-a/2/solution
Past exam of the physics A course of the University of Cambridge 2022 Paper 2 Section A 2 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
The components are in phase quadrature when the axes of the ellipse coincide with the coordinate axes. Since the wave amplitude is one and the wave amplitude is two, the Jones vector must have .
A handedness convention is essential. Adopt the optical convention in which right-handed elliptical polarization rotates clockwise when viewed toward the source, from the positive- side. With the paper's phase convention for complex amplitudes, this givesThe tip follows . In particular,
The figure states the viewing direction and shows increasing time. Under the alternative convention that calls rotation from toward right-handed when looking along propagation, the equally consistent answer is and the second vector is . The original paper does not state a handedness convention, so its wording alone cannot select between these labels; the real components and viewing direction remove the ambiguity.
New to topics? Read the docs here!
