Simulating propagation of the resultant electric field vector using 3D vector representations for circular, elliptical and plane-polarised waves

Abstract

This paper describes a way to simulate and visualise 3D representations of the resultant electric field vector propagation for plane, circular and elliptically polarised waves. These polarisation states are obtained by the superposition of two coherent linearly polarised waves oscillating in two mutually perpendicular directions. The required data to obtain the simulations for these representations is generated by programming an Excel spreadsheet for polarisation equations and varying the process parameters such as phase difference and amplitude of the superimposing waves. The obtained data are then linked with Origin Pro 8.5 software to draw 3D vector plots which provide a visual aid to understanding the propagation of the electric field vector with space and time. The method can be used as an easy and effective way to understand the concept of polarisation.