Cotton–Mouton effect
E446002
The Cotton–Mouton effect is a magneto-optical phenomenon in which a transverse magnetic field induces birefringence in an otherwise isotropic medium, causing the polarization of transmitted light to change.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
magneto-optical effect
ⓘ
physical phenomenon ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | magnetic birefringence in transverse field ⓘ |
| category |
magnetically induced birefringence
ⓘ
nonlinear optics phenomenon ⓘ |
| cause | change in polarization state of transmitted light ⓘ |
| characterizedBy | Cotton–Mouton constant NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contrastWith | Faraday effect which involves longitudinal magnetic field ⓘ |
| dependsOn |
applied magnetic field
ⓘ
properties of the medium ⓘ square of magnetic field strength ⓘ wavelength of light ⓘ |
| describes | induced birefringence in an initially isotropic medium ⓘ |
| discoveredInField | early 20th century optics ⓘ |
| field |
electromagnetism
ⓘ
magneto-optics ⓘ optics ⓘ |
| governingQuantity | magnetic susceptibility anisotropy of the medium ⓘ |
| magneticFieldOrientation | transverse to direction of light propagation ⓘ |
| mathematicalForm | birefringence proportional to Cotton–Mouton constant times square of magnetic field ⓘ |
| measurementTechnique |
interferometry
ⓘ
polarimetry ⓘ |
| namedAfter |
Aimé Cotton
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Henri Mouton NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| occursIn |
gases
ⓘ
liquids ⓘ otherwise isotropic media ⓘ some transparent solids ⓘ |
| opticalConsequence |
conversion of linear polarization to elliptical polarization
ⓘ
difference in refractive indices for orthogonal polarizations ⓘ phase retardation between polarization components ⓘ rotation of polarization ellipse axes ⓘ |
| polarizationGeometry | birefringence axis perpendicular to magnetic field direction in isotropic media ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Faraday effect
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Kerr effect NERFINISHED ⓘ Voigt effect NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relevantIn |
high magnetic field experiments
ⓘ
plasma diagnostics ⓘ precision tests of quantum electrodynamics in vacuum birefringence experiments ⓘ |
| requires |
linearly polarized incident light
ⓘ
non-absorbing or weakly absorbing medium ⓘ |
| symmetryProperty | even in magnetic field direction ⓘ |
| typicalMagnitude | very small birefringence requiring sensitive detection ⓘ |
| usedFor |
characterization of gases and liquids
ⓘ
measurement of magnetic fields ⓘ study of molecular anisotropy ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
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