Natural light falls on a system of N=6 Nicol prisms. The transmission plane of each successive prism is rotated by 30° relative to the preceding prism. What fraction of the incident luminous flux emerges from the system?
Options

Question

Natural light falls on a system of N=6 Nicol prisms. The transmission plane of each successive prism is rotated by 30° relative to the preceding prism. What fraction of the incident luminous flux emerges from the system?

Options

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

The first Nicol transmits half of unpolarized light: I₁=I₀/2. Each of the next five prisms is at 30° to the preceding one, so each contributes a Malus factor cos²30°=3/4. Hence Iout/I₀=(1/2)(3/4)⁵=243/2048. Option A.