nicol prism
Noun: An optical device that produces plane-polarized light. It is a type of polarizer, typically made from a clear calcite crystal that is cut, cemented, and mounted in a specific way to allow only light waves vibrating in a single plane to pass through.
The term "Nicol prism" is used to refer to the specific optical instrument. It is a proper noun, often capitalized, named after its inventor, William Nicol. - It is used in scientific contexts, particularly in optics, chemistry, and geology, for analyzing the properties of light or materials. - It functions by separating a beam of unpolarized light into two beams of plane-polarized light with perpendicular vibration directions, absorbing one beam and transmitting the other.
- Crossed Nicols: A common experimental setup where two Nicol prisms are arranged with their polarization planes at right angles (90 degrees) to each other. When no sample is present, this configuration blocks all transmitted light.
- The mineral sample was placed between crossed Nicols to observe its interference colors.
- Polarizer (n): A general term for any device that produces polarized light. A Nicol prism is one type of polarizer.
- Analyzer (n): In optics, often a second polarizing device (which can be a Nicol prism) used to examine light that has passed through a sample.
- Polarizing Prism (n): A broader category of prisms, including the Nicol prism, Glan-Thompson prism, and Wollaston prism, used for producing polarized light.
- Polarizing prism
- Polarizer (in specific technical contexts where the device is prism-based)
- The Nicol prism is a historical and fundamental device in polarization optics. While modern instruments may use other types of polarizers (like Polaroid sheets), the Nicol prism remains a key concept and tool in educational and research laboratories for its high purity of polarization.
- The term is almost exclusively used in its singular form, "a Nicol prism." The plural is "Nicol prisms."
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optical device that produces plane-polarized light
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