6B-11 Polarization of Radiation
Ordinary radiation consists of a bundle of electromagnetic waves in which the vibrations are equally distributed among a huge number of planes centered along the path of the beam. Viewed end on, a beam of monochromatic radiation can be visualized as an infinite set of electrical vectors that fluctuate in length from zero to a maximum amplitude A. Figure 6-lib depicts an end-on view of these vectors at various times during the passage of one wave of monochromatic radiation through a fixed point in space.
Figure 6-12a shows a few of the vectors depicted in Figure 6-lib at the instant the wave is at its maximum.