| polarize | To communicate polarity to. Origin: Cf. F. Polarizer. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| polarized light | <microscopy> Light that is vibrating in one plane (plane-polarized light), light with a rotary vibration (circular polarized light), or light that is vibrating elliptically (elliptically polarized light). Moonlight and skylight are polarized, as is much reflected light, cloud light is polarized under certain conditions. However, naturally polarized light is, on the whole, rather imperfectly polarized. (05 Aug 1998) |
| polarized light microscope | <instrument, microscopy> A microscopical polarizcope, i.e., a compound microscope which is equipped with two polars and a Bertrand lens, chemists and mineralogists are the principal users. (05 Aug 1998) |
| polarizer | <physics> That which polarizes; especially, the part of a polarizcope which receives and polarizes the light. It is usually a reflecting plate, or a plate of some crystal, as tourmaline, or a doubly refracting crystal. <microscopy> A first polarizing element inserted before a preparation. When its vibration direction is at right angles to the vibration direction of the analyser, the field becomes black if no anisotropic specimen is on the stage or when viewing an anisotropic substance in an extinction position or directly down an optic axis of an anisotropic crystal. See: analyser, eyepiece, positive. (28 Oct 1998) |