Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaged product – Nonsilver image
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-16
2003-05-13
Le, Hoa Van (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaged product
Nonsilver image
C430S346000, C430S950000, C430S952000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06562526
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART
Light can be represented as electromagnetic fields which vary sinusoidally and orthogonal to the direction of propagation as shown in FIG.
1
. [where the direction of propagation is along the Z-axis.] In
FIG. 1
the electric field component of the wave is denoted by E, and the magnetic field component is denoted by B.
For the purposes of this invention it is only the electric field component of the wave which will interact with matter and produce relevant phenomena. An electric field is simply the force per unit electric charge in a region of space. Equivalently, if an electric charge were in a region of space occupied by an electric field it would experience a force equal to the electric field times the magnitude of the charge.
Electric fields can be represented mathematically as vector quantities indicating their magnitude and direction at a specific point or in a given region of space.
FIG. 1A
is the electromagnetic wave in
FIG. 1
, but with the view looking down the axis of propagation, the Z-axis.
FIG. 1-A
shows some possible orientations of the electric field. These are only some possibilities. Any orientation in the plane normal to the direction of propagation is possible. That plane is represented as the plane that the circle in
FIG. 1A
occupies.
As light, an electromagnetic wave, propagates, the behavior of the electric field in space and time is determined by Maxwell's equations, which are a set of equations defined by James Clerk Maxwell which constitute the physical laws of electromagnetism. Maxwell's equations have solutions for traveling waves where the electric field varies along an axis as in
FIG. 1
, varies in a circular of elliptical manner, or varies randomly.
The orientation of the electric field vector and how it changes with time is known as the state of polarization of the electromagnetic wave or just simply the polarization of the light. If the electric field is confined to a single axis as in
FIG. 1
it is said to be linearly polarized. In
FIG. 1
it is linearly polarized in the X or vertical direction. Since the electric field at any given moment is confined to a plane parallel to the direction of propagation and a plane is two dimensional, there are only two possible independent polarization states for light. We can think of them as horizontal and vertical. Although in physics and mathematics the two unique polarization states used are sometimes right and left circular polarization, these states are simply combinations of vertical and horizontal states that vary in time in the right way to represent an electric field that rotates in a circular clockwise manner or counterclockwise as the wave propagates.
If the electric field in
FIG. 1
is not confined to a single axis in the plane but has an equal probability of being in the horizontal or vertical direction and there is no specific time relationship between the vertical and horizontal electric fields the light is said to be unpolarized or randomly polarized.
The electric field can be polarized and confined to an axis that makes an angle, &thgr;, with the horizontal or x-axis as shown in FIG.
1
B. Since the electric field is a vector quantity when it is polarized in this manner, it can be broken up into horizontal and vertical components. In
figure 1B
the horizontal axis is the x-axis and the vertical axis is the y-axis. The electric field E in
figure 1B
has a horizontal component equal to E cos &thgr; and a vertical component equal to E sin &thgr;, this being a trigonometric fact. It can be said that the electric field in
FIG. 1B
has a part of itself, E cos &thgr;, polarized along the x-axis and the rest of itself E is sin &thgr;, polarized along the y-axis. The sides of the triangle in
FIG. 1B
formed by E, E cos &thgr;, and E sin &thgr; obey the Pythagorean theorem, which means they obey the relations E
2
cos
2
&thgr;+E
2
sin
2
&thgr;=E
2
. For the purposes of our discussion it must be understood that the electric field E has a component E cos &thgr; polarized in the x-direction and a component E sin &thgr; polarized in the y-direction.
Some materials act as polarizers. If randomly polarized light enters into a slab of finite thickness of polarizing material with the material's polarization oriented say in the vertical direction, the horizontally polarized portion of the incident light is absorbed and the vertically polarized portion is allowed to pass through the material. The result is that the light emanating out of the polarizing material is polarized in the vertical direction thus polarizing materials polarize light.
One can think of polarizers as having a transmission axis or sense and an absorption axis or sense. It is more general to use the word sense than axis since axis implies the idea of linearity to the imagination of the reader and that does not apply to circular polarizers and so can become confusing when one is trying to provide broad and general clarity.
If linearly polarized light oriented in the vertical direction enters a linear polarizer whose absorption sense is oriented in the vertical direction the light will be absorbed. Equivalently, if linearly polarized light enters a polarizer whose absorption sense is equal to the polarization sense of the light, the light is absorbed. If linearly polarized light enters a polarizer whose absorption sense is orthogonal to the polarization sense of the light the light is transmitted.
The same statements of what happens physically can be made using reference to the transmission sense of the polarizer. For instance, if linearly polarized light enters a polarizer whose transmission sense is equal to the polarization sense of the light, the light is transmitted. If linearly polarized light enters a polarizer whose transmission sense is orthogonal to the polarization sense of the light, the light is absorbed.
Circular polarizers have an absorption sense and a transmission sense as well. The above reasoning carries through for circular polarizers and circularly polarized light. For instance if circularly polarized light enters a circular polarizer with an absorption sense equal to the polarization sense of the light, the light is absorbed. If the absorption sense of a circular polarizer is left, left circularly polarized light is absorbed when it enters the polarizer, etc.
To expand our vocabulary to encompass an understanding of the relationship between linear polarization (of light or materials), circular polarization (of light or materials), and light that is unpolarized the following facts must be rigorously observed.
(1) Unpolarized light can be represented as an equal mixture of horizontal linearly polarized light and vertical linearly polarized light, where the time relationship between the vertical and horizontal linearly polarized states is random.
(2) Unpolarized light can also be represented as an equal mixture of right circularly polarized light and left circularly polarized light, where the time relationship between the right and left circularly polarized states is random.
(3) Linearly (horizontal or vertical) polarized light can be represented as a linear combination of right and left circularly polarized light, where the time relationships between the right and left circularly polarized states is specific.
(4) Circularly (right or left) polarized light can be represented as a linear combination of horizontal and vertical linearly polarized light, where the time relationship between the horizontal and vertical linearly polarized states is specific.
The above facts can be derived from Maxwell's equations or from the quantum mechanical theory of light. Both methods produce the same results. Further the above facts have been verified by experiment with great rigor.
If circularly polarized light enters a linear polarizer the part of the light that has a polarization sense equal to the transmission sense of the polarizer is transmitted and the other part has a polarization sense equal to the absorption sense of th
LandOfFree
Polarizing resonant spherical scattering apparent three... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Polarizing resonant spherical scattering apparent three..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Polarizing resonant spherical scattering apparent three... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3008777