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Faraday effect

The Faraday effect, named after the English scientist Michael Faraday, is a phenomenon in physics where the polarization plane of light is rotated when the light passes through a transparent medium in the presence of a magnetic field that is parallel to the direction of the light's propagation. This effect is a result of the interaction between the magnetic field and the electromagnetic waves of light.

When polarized light passes through a material that exhibits the Faraday effect, such as certain types of glasses or crystals, and a magnetic field is applied parallel to the direction of light propagation, the plane of polarization of the light is rotated. The amount of rotation is directly proportional to the strength of the magnetic field, the length of the path through the material, and a property of the material called the Verdet constant.

The Faraday effect has important applications in various fields, including optical communication, optical isolators, and magneto-optical recording. In optical communication systems, Faraday rotators are used to isolate optical components by allowing light to propagate in only one direction. In magneto-optical recording, the Faraday effect is utilized to write and read data on magnetic storage media using light.
 
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Faraday rotation

Presented by Eric Zhang, Princeton University
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