Faraday Effect Experiment

OBJECTIVES

• Observe the effect of a magnetic field on the plane of polarization of polarized light as it passes through a dispersive medium.
• Measure the Verdet’s constant of a given dispersive material.

PRINCIPLE

When linearly polarized light passes through an optical medium in a region of the strong magnetic field, the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light rotates by an angle. The angle of rotation of plane-polarized light is proportional to the length of the optical medium and component of the magnetic field in the direction of light. The factor of proportionality is medium-specific and is called Verdet’s constant and this effect is known as the Faraday Rotation or Faraday Effect. Discovered by Michael Faraday in 1845, the Faraday effect was the first experimental evidence that light and electromagnetism are related. In the experimental setup, the optical medium is an SF6 glass cube.

KEY FEATURES

• Modular U- Core design with precise optical alignment – U-Core along with pole pieces are designed with the Poka-Yoke principle so that the optical alignment is undisturbed when the pole pieces are moved to accommodate samples of different dimensions.
• Light Sensor- This enables measurement of light intensity which in turn helps in measuring the amount of rotation of plane polarization. The meter reads with a precision of 1 lux. Sensor-based measurements eliminate the errors in values due to simple eyesight measurement. Moreover, it provides the freedom to conduct the experiment at any setting of polarizer-analyzer angles.

WHAT YOU NEED

• OB1 Optical Bench Set 0.8m 1
• HA001 Light Source Holder 1
• HA004 Polarizer Holder 1
• HA006 Analyzer Holder 1
• UP025 Electromagnet Set Assembly 1
• AC004 Glass Block 1
• HA510 Light Sensor Holder 1
• PH93225G Gauss Meter 1
• PH61035D/7 Power Supply for Electromagnet 1
• PH61022D/2 Power Supply for Light Source 1
• DP1 Data Processor 1
• DPS01 DP Switch 1

Complete Equipment Set with Instruction Manual from catalogue.