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This is the fifth article in a six-part series on light polarization. In this article, we explore how to build a one-way valve for light using the Faraday effect, a magneto-optical phenomenon that breaks the symmetry of light propagation. Learn how optical isolators protect lasers from back reflections, and why this non-reciprocal behavior can't be achieved with conventional components like waveplates alone.

This is the sixth and final article in a six-part series on light polarization. In this post, we explore the famous “three polarizers” experiment, where adding a third polarizer between two crossed ones surprisingly allows light to pass. Learn how this counterintuitive result demonstrates gradual polarization transitions, and how it relates to impedance matching in technologies like ultrasound.