Page 1 of 23
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences - Vol. 12, No. 1
Publication Date: February 25, 2024
DOI:10.14738/tecs.121.16170.
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap.
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene
Kitchen Wrap
Atsutoshi Kurihara
Graduate School of Integrative Science and Engineering, Tokyo City University,
1-28-1 Tamadutsumi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 158-8557, Japan
Yuto Osada
Graduate School of Integrative Science and Engineering, Tokyo City University,
1-28-1 Tamadutsumi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 158-8557, Japan
Yue Bao
Graduate School of Integrative Science and Engineering, Tokyo City University,
1-28-1 Tamadutsumi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 158-8557, Japan
ABSTRACT
We propose a method of creating an inexpensive visible light range wave plate using
a birefringent material—kitchen wrap—and an evaluation method using a camera
and projector. By stacking the appropriate number of kitchen wraps, any wave plate
corresponding to any color can be created. The light of the projector is
photographed using a camera through a kitchen wrap sandwiched between
polarizing plates arranged in the crossed-Nicols condition. First, by rotating the
kitchen wrap, the optical axis was obtained based on the change in luminance. Next,
by increasing the number of kitchen wraps, the wavelength deviation per sheet was
measured based on the change in luminance. The experimental results confirmed
that polyethylene wrap is suitable as the material of the wave plate, and the optical
axis is tilted by 45° with respect to the cut surface.
Keywords: Polarization, polyethylene, polarizing plates, crossed-Nicols, kitchen wraps.
INTRODUCTION
Polarization is an important optical characteristic. It is widely applied in our daily life in
products including polarized glasses, liquid crystal displays, and 3D movies [1-2]. It is also
widely used in the industrial field for researching material strength, calculating the density of
organic solutions, and in medical equipment for diagnosis of eye-related pathologies [1-2].
However, understanding the properties of polarization is challenging because it is difficult to
interpret the properties intuitively [3].
A previous study [1] reported the results of a post-class interview with Croatian high school
students (18–19 years old) on their understanding of polarization of light and the model of light
itself. Students often remembered the general schema of polarization. However, they often
misunderstood it or showed fragmentary knowledge [1]. In addition, reports have suggested
that polarization tends to be neglected in higher education [2][4]. In Japanese education on
polarization, only contents of linear polarization by polarizing plates are described up to high
Page 2 of 23
131
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
school, and no deep knowledge is provided [4]. For example, polarization is not limited to the
field of physics; it forms a part of optical rotation (rotation of linear polarization) in the field of
chemistry, insects with eyes that capture polarization in the field of biology, and polarizing
microscopes in the field of geology. However, there is no description of topics such as circular
polarization or elliptical polarization, which is important for understanding these fields, and
the topic is expressed vaguely [4]. In addition, as an optical teaching material, an "Optics
Suitcase" was developed by the OSA Rochester Section (OSA-RS). This package is designed to
introduce the interesting concept of light to junior high school students. There are three
experiments which involve investigating the colors that make up white light with respect to
diffraction (The Rainbow Peephole), polarization (Magic Stripes), and selective reflection
(Magic Patch) and are designed to appeal to students [5]. A previous report [6] provided results
regarding the experience of introducing Optics Suitcase to high school students according to
the experimental curriculum in the field of telecommunications. Practical work was
emphasized during the demonstration of diffraction, polarization, and liquid crystals; the study
reported that the test results succeeded in increasing the students' interest in physics and
optics [6]. However, in the explanation of polarization, it is recommended to ignore the
explanation of circular polarization for the sake of simplicity [7]. There is consensus for
including Quantum mechanics in the high school curriculum [8]. In a previous report [8], the
authors designed and implemented a course of active learning education for secondary school
students including content for polarization. It included content of birefringence as part of the
rationale that it is impossible to give a locus to a photon (to a quantum system). Moreover, a
rotating-analyzer ellipsometer rotates the analyzer synchronously to detect the polarization
state after reflection on the surface of the object [9]. An experiment using the rotating analyzer
method has been used for student experiments to deepen the understanding of polarization in
the upper grades of university [3].
Knowledge of polarization is important in education, and the corresponding teaching materials
must be developed [4]. The use of a circular polarizing element can be considered as one of the
teaching materials. However, circular polarizing elements are expensive (1,000 Yen to tens of
thousands of Yen per sheet), and it is difficult to introduce them to educational sites [4][10]. In
this study, we aim to establish a method for making and evaluating inexpensive wave plates.
CONVENTIONAL METHODS
Polarized light is light whose vibration direction is biased in a specific direction. Polarization
that oscillates in one plane is called linear polarization. As shown in Fig. 1 (a), a polarizer such
as a polarizing plate extracts linearly polarized light from natural light. When light is incident
on two polarizing plates, the intensity of the transmitted light changes depending on the
angular relationship between the polarizing plates. As shown in Fig. 1 (b), when the
transmission axes are parallel (parallel Nicol), the linearly polarized light that has passed
through the first polarizing plate also passes through the second. In contrast, as shown in Fig. 1
(c), when the second polarizer is rotated 90° (orthogonal Nicol), the light rays are blocked [11-
12].
Page 3 of 23
132
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Fig. 1: Linearly polarized light
Birefringence (optical anisotropy) is a property in which the refractive index differs depending
on the direction. Light is transmitted by arranging the birefringent substance at an appropriate
angle between polarizing plates in the orthogonal Nicol state. As shown in Fig. 2, linearly
polarized light with a vibrating surface rotated by 45° from the x-axis is incident on a
birefringent substance having different refractive indexes on the x- and y-axes. Because the
light transmitted through this substance has a phase difference between the x-axis component
and the y-axis component, it becomes polarized different from the linear polarization at the
time of incidence. Because the refractive index depends on the wavelength of light, the phase
difference also differs depending on the wavelength. As shown in Fig. 2 (a), when elliptically
polarized light is obtained in this substance, only the transmission axis component of the
polarizing plate is extracted. As shown in Fig. 2 (b), when the phase difference is an odd multiple
of a half wavelength, the polarized light transmitted through the substance is linearly polarized
light parallel to the transmission axis of the polarizer. Therefore, it is not shielded. In addition,
as shown in Fig. 2 (c), when the phase difference is an integral multiple of the wavelength,
polarized light transmitted through the substance is shielded because it is orthogonal to the
transmission axis of the polarizer [11-12].
Fig. 2: Birefringence
Page 4 of 23
133
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
As educational equipment that refers to the wave plate, a polarization-related classroom
demonstration experiment system using the polarization axis finder (PAF)—a tool in which
many linearly polarized light components are arranged concentrically—has been proposed.
Using this equipment, the direction of the polarization axis of the linearly polarized light can be
intuitively understood. In addition, it is possible to confirm that there is no fixed polarization
axis in the circular polarization by the 1/4 wave plate and to observe the strain distribution of
the lens. The study also describes observations of LCD, polarized dark glass, and sky
polarization [13].
Cellophane tape has been used as an inexpensive 1/4 wave plate [4]. Cellophane is made of long
chains of aligned glucose molecules. Electromagnetic waves with polarization orthogonal to the
molecule propagate through this material at a different velocity than waves with polarization
parallel to the chain. Therefore, cellophane is a birefringent substance, and it can be used as a
wave plate by stacking an appropriate number of cellophane sheets. In addition, polarized
stained glass has been made by pasting cellophane in various directions between the polarizing
plates in the orthogonal Nicol state. This is a famous experiment conducted in science
experiment classrooms [11,12][14]. Not limited to cellophane, numerous materials that show
optical anisotropy have been reported, and familiar ones include quartz and liquid crystals used
in televisions and personal computers [12, 14]. In addition, thin films such as oriented
polypropylene, plastics subjected to mechanical stress, and polyvinyl alcohol are also
birefringent [2, 15]. Such a phenomenon is called photoelasticity and occurs because the
refractive index slightly changes in the direction when an external force is applied to a
transparent object made of the same substance [14]. A study has reported the production of
inexpensive large aperture infrared (IR) polarizers by stretching a film using polyethylene
kitchen wrap [16]. However, these studies are costly because expensive equipment such as
spectrophotometers and IR spectrometers are used. In addition, a previous report [16]
suggested that using a film-stretching jig and a laser for evaluation is not cost-effective.
Furthermore, studies on using an acrylic plate as a 1/4 wave plate have been reported [10].
This plate is fabricated by measuring the size of the birefringence of a commercially available
acrylic plate in which the directions of the molecules are aligned through the stretching
treatment and then polishing the acrylic plate in layers as necessary. However, a single- wavelength laser and a device for measuring its intensity are required.
PROPOSED METHODS
We propose a method for making and evaluating an inexpensive visible light splitter using
kitchen wrap. This method has the following advantages:
1. Special equipment such as spectroscopic analyzers or lasers are not used so that
experiments in educational facilities can be carried out at low cost.
2. It is possible to create a wave plate of any wavelength to understand circular
polarization and elliptically polarized light.
3. A wave plate corresponding to any color can be created to understand that the
performance of the wave plate depends on the wavelength of light.
Specifically, the luminance is calculated by taking a picture of the light of the projector through
a kitchen wrap sandwiched between polarizing plates arranged in orthogonal Nicols using a
Page 5 of 23
134
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
camera and performing image processing. First, the kitchen wrap is rotated, and the optical axis
is obtained by changing the luminance. Next, kitchen wraps are stacked to increase the number
of sheets, and the wavelength deviation per sheet is measured from the change in luminance.
Fig. 3 shows the flow chart of image processing. For color cameras such as smartphones and
single-lens cameras, the average value of the pixel values of one channel is set as the luminance
by grayscale with Eq. (1) based on the color vision characteristics of the human eye [17]. In case
of a monochrome camera, the average value of the pixel values of one channel is used as the
luminance. These values are normalized to 0 to 1 for ease of comparison. In addition, to confirm
the effectiveness of the proposed method, measurement by a spectroscopic analyzer is
performed in advance.
Y = ( 0.298912 × R + 0.586611 × G + 0.114478 × B ) (1)
Fig. 3: Image processing flowchart to calculate luminance
EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS
To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method, the following three experiments were
conducted.
Experiment 1: Preparatory Experiment
The preparatory experiment including the following four steps:
➢ Step 1: A spectroscopic analyzer was used, and a wrap of suitable material was selected
for use in the wave plate.
➢ Step 2: To obtain a criterion for experimentally judging the effectiveness of the proposed
method, the polarization performance of the wrap of the selected material was
measured and obtained using a spectroscopic analyzer.
➢ Step 3: At the same time as measuring the optical axis of the kitchen wrap, we checked
whether the performance of the wrap with the same product name changes depending
on the size and production lot.
Page 6 of 23
135
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
➢ Step 4: The changes in polarization characteristics are checked depending on the
location of the kitchen wrap.
Experiment 2: Polarization Performance Measurement Experiment
The polarization performance measurement experiment included the following two steps.
➢ Step 1: Checking the polarization axis of the projector to prepare a linearly polarized
light source.
➢ Step 2: Measuring the polarization performance using the proposed method.
Experiment 3: Transmittance Comparison Experiment Between a Wave Plate Created
Using the Proposed Method and A Commercially Available Wave Plate
Preparatory Experiment
Selecting a Wrap of Suitable Material Using a Spectroscopic Analyzer:
Experiment Method:
To select a kitchen wrap material that can be used as a wave plate, we confirmed the presence
or absence of polarization characteristics and the optical axis using a polarizing plate and a
spectroscopic analyzer, respectively. As shown in Fig. 4, three types of wraps were used: (A)
polyethylene, (B) polyvinylidene chloride, and (C) vinyl chloride. Table 1 to Table 3 show the
details of the wraps.
Fig. 4: Used kitchen wraps. (A) Polyethylene. (B) Polyvinylidene chloride. (C) Vinyl chloride.
Table 1: (A) Polyethylene wrap
Product name ADDITIVE-FREE FOOD WRAP
Size 22 [cm] x 50 [m]
Heatproof temperature 110 [°C]
Cold resistant temperature -60 [°C]
Selling agency Global Co., Ltd.
Table 2: (B) Polyvinylidene chloride wrap
Product name Saran Wrap
Size 30 [cm] x 50 [m]
Additive Fatty acid derivative (Softener)
Page 7 of 23
136
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Epoxidized vegetable oil (Stabilizers)
Heatproof temperature 140 [°C]
Cold resistant temperature -60 [°C]
Business name Asahi Kasei home products Co., Ltd.
Table 3: (C) Vinyl chloride wrap
Product name RIKEN WRAP
Size 22 [cm] x 50 [m]
Additive Fatty acid derivative (Softener)
Epoxidized vegetable oil (Stabilizers)
Calcium compounds (Stabilizers)
Heatproof temperature 130 [°C]
Cold resistant temperature -60 [°C]
Business name RIKEN FABRO Co., Ltd.
Table 4 shows the specifications of the polarizing plate, and Table 5 shows the details of the
spectroscopic analyzer.
Table 4: Polarizing plate
Polarization rate 99% or more
Transmittance 40%
Material Plastic
Table 5: Spectrophotometer
Manufacturer HITACHI
Model number U-4100
As shown in Fig. 5, the kitchen wrap is sandwiched between the polarizing plates in the
orthogonal Nicol state, and θ is rotated from 0 to 90° every 10° to measure the transmittance.
The arrangement of each film in Fig. 5 is in the direction viewed from the sensor side.
Fig. 5: Sample placement for the selection of materials using a spectroscopic analyzer
Experimental Results:
Fig. 6 shows the measurement results of the transmittance of the polarizing plate in the
orthogonal Nicol state. Fig. 7 shows the measurement results of the transmittance of the
polyethylene wrap (A). Fig. 8 shows the measurement result of the transmittance of the
polyvinylidene chloride wrap (B). Fig. 9 shows the measurement result of the transmittance of
Page 8 of 23
137
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
the vinyl chloride wrap (C). In this study, we consider the wave plate in visible light. Therefore,
the wavelength range is 350 to 750 nm.
Fig. 6: Transmittance of the polarizing plate in the orthogonal Nicol state
Fig. 7: Transmittance of the polyethylene wrap (A)
Fig. 8: Transmittance of the polyvinylidene chloride wrap (B)
Page 9 of 23
138
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Fig. 9: Transmittance of the vinyl chloride wrap (C)
Consideration:
Fig. 6 shows that the light is blocked by the polarizing plate with the orthogonal Nicol
arrangement. Fig. 7 to Fig. 9 show that the transmittance of polyethylene wrap changes when
the angle is changed, but that of polyvinylidene chloride wrap and vinyl chloride wrap hardly
change. In addition, polyethylene wrap has low transmittance when θ is 0° and 90°. Therefore,
polyethylene wrap is suitable as a material of the wave plate, and the optical axis is tilted by 45°
with respect to the cut surface. Polyethylene wrap is used in the following experiments.
Measurement of Polarization Performance of the Polyethylene Wrap Using a
Spectroscopic Analyzer:
Experimental Method:
We aimed to identify the length of the wave plate for which one polyethylene wrap can be used.
Fig 10 shows the sample arrangement. Between the polarizing plates in the orthogonal Nicol
state, a polyethylene wrap tilted 45° from the absorption axis is sandwiched. The transmittance
was measured by changing the number of wraps from 0 to 24.
Experimental Results:
Fig. 10 shows the measurement results of the relationship between the number of wraps and
the transmittance. Focusing on 550 nm, which is the standard for commercially available wave
plates, Fig. 11 shows the relationship between the number of wraps and transmittance at 550
nm.
Page 10 of 23
139
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
Fig. 10: Relationship between the number of wraps (A) and transmittance
Fig. 11: Relationship between the number of wraps (A) and transmittance at 550 nm
Consideration:
Focusing on 550 nm from Fig. 12, we confirmed that the transmittance is the highest when eight
sheets are used. Therefore, eight wraps can be used as a 1/2 wave plate for 550 nm light.
Furthermore, Fig. 12 shows that four wraps can be used as a 1/4 wave plate because the
transmittance of four sheets is ~52% that of eight sheets. When there are 12 sheets, the
transmittance is ~61% when there are eight sheets. This is because the angle of the optical axis
shifts due to the manual stacking of the wraps, and the thickness changes due to the pulling
force when pasting, resulting in elliptically polarized light instead of circularly polarized light,
which reduces the transmittance.
Measuring the Optical Axis of the Kitchen Wrap:
Experimental Method:
We performed the same experiment as the material selection experiment in Section 4.1.1 using
a camera. As shown in Fig. 12, a projector with a polarizing plate and a camera were placed to
take a picture. The illuminometer was placed in the same position as the camera in Fig. 12. The
kitchen wrap is arranged on the back side of polarizing plate 2 and in the direction shown in
Page 11 of 23
140
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Fig. 13. The projector light is photographed through these, and θ is rotated by 10° from 0 to 90°.
The arrangement of each film in Fig. 13 is the direction viewed from the sensor side. Luminance
was calculated using the proposed image processing method.
Table 6 to Table 10 show the details of the experimental equipment. A smartphone (SAMSUNG
Galaxy S10), a single-lens camera (SONY a6000), and an industrial camera (VCXU-32M) were
used as cameras. The reason for using different cameras is to compare the effects of hardware
on the proposed method. Shooting was performed in a dark room. Table 11 shows the camera
settings. All subsequent experiments other than 4.2.1 will be performed with this setting. In
addition, to investigate the difference in polarization characteristics between polyethylene
wraps of the same product wrap (A), this measurement was performed for the four wraps in
Table 12. A-1 to A-3 is 22 cm wide and A-4 is 30 cm wide to allow comparison of the polarization
performances when the product name is the same but sizes differ. Because A-1 to A-3 were all
purchased at different stores, and A-1 and others were purchased on different days, we will
compare whether there is a difference between shipping lots.
Fig. 12: Experimental environment for measuring the optical axis of kitchen wrap
Fig. 13: Sample placement for measuring the optical axis of kitchen wrap
Table 6: Projector
Manufacturer SK telecom Co., Ltd.
Product name Smart Beam Laser
Model number LB-UH6CB
Brightness 100 [lm]
Projection method Laser driven LCOS
Laser safety standards IEC60825-1
Page 12 of 23
141
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
Table 7: Illuminance meter
Manufacturer Sanwa Electric Instrument Co., Ltd.
Product name ILLUMINANCE METER LX2
Range of measurement 0.1 [lx] ~ 399.9[klx]
Table 8: Smartphone
Manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Product name Galaxy S10
Number of pixels About 12 million pixels
Table 9: DSLR camera
Manufacturer Sony Corporation
Product name α6000
Total number of pixels About 24.7 million pixels
Lens E 30mm F3.5 Macro
Table 10: Industrial camera
Manufacturer Baumer Optronic GmbH
Product name VCXU-32M
Total number of pixels 3 million pixels
Table 11: Camera settings
Camera f -number Shutter speed ISO
Galaxy S10 f/2.4 1/30 [s] 50
a6000 f/3.5 1/30 [s] 100
f -number Exposure Time Gain
VCXU-32M f/1.8 10000.00 [μs] 1.00 [db]
Table 12: Polyethylene wrap (A-1―4)
A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4
Size 22 [cm] × 50 [m] 22 [cm] × 50 [m] 22 [cm] × 50[m] 30 [cm] × 50 [m]
Store Matsumoto Kiyoshi
(233-0013, 3-1-7,
Maruyamadai,
Konan, Yokohama
City, Kanagawa
Prefecture)
Cocokarafine
(158-0086,
3-22-7,
Oyamadai,
Setagaya-ku, Tokyo)
Cocokarafine
(152-0035,
2-11-16,
Jiyugaoka, Meguro- ku, Tokyo)
Cocokarafine
(152-0035,
2-11-16,
Jiyugaoka, Meguro- ku, Tokyo)
Purchase date 2021-6-28 2021-8-27 2021-8-27 2021-8-27
Experimental Results:
Fig. 15 shows the measurement results of the illuminometer. The luminance calculation results
of each camera are shown in Fig. 16 to Fig. 18.
Page 13 of 23
142
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Fig. 14: Illuminance measurement results for measuring the optical axis of the kitchen wrap
Fig. 15: Luminance measurement results for measuring the optical axis of the kitchen wrap
using a Galaxy S10
Fig. 16: Luminance measurement results for measuring the optical axis of the kitchen wrap
using an a6000
Page 14 of 23
143
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
Fig. 17: Luminance measurement results for measuring the optical axis of the kitchen wrap
using a VCXU-32M
Consideration:
With the illuminometer and all cameras, a peak exists from 40° to 50° in A-1 to A-3. However,
there is not considerable change in A-4. This experimental result shows that the same product
with the same size can be used as the same wave plate, but the birefringence of the wave plate
differs with different sizes. It is presumed that this is because the stretching force differs during
the manufacturing process. In addition, because the brightness is the lowest at 0° and 90°, it
can be considered that the optic axis is tilted 45° with respect to the cut surface.
Checking for Changes in Polarization Characteristics Depending on the Location:
Experimental method:
To measure the difference in polarization characteristics at the position of one kitchen wrap,
10 different locations of A-1 were photographed in the experimental environment shown in Fig.
18, and the luminance was calculated.
Fig. 18: Sample placement for evaluating the variations in polarization characteristics
Experimental Results:
Fig. 19 shows the measurement results of the illuminometer. The results of luminance were
calculated using each camera, as shown in Fig. 20 to Fig. 22.
Page 17 of 23
146
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
A linearly polarized light source must be prepared for the wave plate evaluation experiment
described later; therefore, the polarization axis of the projector was confirmed in this
experiment. Fig. 23 shows the experimental environment. The illuminometer was placed in the
same position as the camera in Fig. 23. Table 14 shows the camera settings. Shooting was
performed in a dark room.
Table 14: Camera settings for measuring the polarization axis of the projector
Camera f -number Shutter speed ISO
Galaxy S10 f/2.4 1/30 [s] 50
a6000 f/3.5 1/30 [s] 100
f -number Exposure Time Gain
VCXU-32M f/1.8 1000.00 [μs] 1.00 [db]
Experimental Results:
Table 15 shows the measurement results of the illuminometer. Table 16 shows the luminance
calculated by the image processing of the proposed method from the photographs taken by each
camera.
Table 15: Illuminance measurement results for measuring the polarization axis of the
projector
Arrangement 1 1.3 [lx]
Arrangement 2 190.3 [lx]
Table 16: Luminance calculation results for measuring the polarization axis of the
projector
Arrangement 1 Arrangement 2
Camera Average Standard deviation Average Standard deviation
Galaxy S10 0.0127075 0.0899516 0.381697 0.248999
a6000 0.00414627 0.0544871 0.0158924 0.0744987
VCXU-32M 0.003928913 0.048475946 0.037545788 0.130675458
Consideration:
In Table 15 and Table 16, because arrangement 2 is brighter than arrangement 1 in both cases,
the projector is linearly polarized in the same direction as the polarization axis of arrangement
2. In the following experiment, the polarizing plate of placement 2 is installed in the projector.
This is because the polarization axis of the projector is not always horizontal or vertical.
Calculation of the Polarization Performance of the Polyethylene Wrap by a Camera with
the Proposed Method:
Experimental Method:
This experiment measures how long wavelengths of one polyethylene wrap can be used as a
wave plate using a camera. Fig. 24 shows the sample arrangement. A polyethylene wrap tilted
45° from the absorption axis is sandwiched between the polarizing plates in the orthogonal
Nicol state. The changes in the brightness of the wrap from 0 to 24 sheets were calculated.
Page 18 of 23
147
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
Fig. 24: Sample placement for evaluation of polarization performance of polyethylene wrap
Experimental Results:
Fig. 25 shows the measurement results of the illuminometer. The results of luminance were
calculated using each camera and are shown in Fig. 26 to Fig. 28.
Fig. 25: Illuminance measurement results for evaluation of the polarization performance of the
polyethylene wrap
Fig. 26: Luminance measurement results for the evaluation of the polarization performance of
the polyethylene wrap using the Galaxy S10
Page 19 of 23
148
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Fig. 27: Luminance measurement results for the evaluation of the polarization performance of
the polyethylene wrap using a6000
Fig. 28: Luminance measurement results for evaluation of the polarization performance of the
polyethylene wrap using VCXU-32M
Consideration:
Because we focused on a 550 nm with a spectroscopic analyzer, we consider G (green) in this
experiment as well. Fig. 25 shows that the illuminance is the highest when the number of sheets
is eight in the measurement by the illuminance meter. Therefore, eight wraps can be used as a
1/2 wave plate for green light. This is consistent with the results of the spectroscopic analyzer.
However, the illuminance of four sheets is ~70% of that of eight sheets, which is different from
the result of the spectroscopic analyzer, which is ~52%. In addition, in the case of 12 sheets,
both the illuminometer and the spectroscopic analyzer have a value of ~61% in the case of eight
sheets, which is the same. Therefore, we believe that the angle of the sensor, the angle of the
optic axis, and the thickness due to the pulling force at the time of sticking changed at the time
of measuring four sheets. Fig. 26 shows the measurement with a smartphone (Galaxy S10); the
luminance is the highest when there are nine wraps. In addition, the luminance of four sheets
is ~72% of 9 sheets, and that of five sheets is ~80%. With 13 sheets, it is 87% that with nine
sheets, and with 14 sheets, it is ~74%. Fig. 27 shows that the luminance is the highest when the
number of wraps is eight in the measurement with a single-lens camera (a6000). In addition,
the luminance of four sheets is ~62% of eight sheets, and that of 12 sheets is 92% of eight sheets.
With a single-lens camera (a6000), the number of sheets with the maximum brightness
matches that of the spectrophotometer. Fig. 28 shows that the luminance is the highest when
Page 21 of 23
150
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Fig. 30: Luminance measurement results for comparison of the transmittance between the
polyethylene wrap and the 1/4 wave plate using a Galaxy S10
Fig. 31 : measurement results for comparison of the transmittance between the polyethylene
wrap and 1/4 wave plate using a6000
Fig. 32: Luminance measurement results for comparison of transmittance between the
polyethylene wrap and 1/4 wave plate using VCXU-32M
Page 22 of 23
151
Kurihara, A., Osada, Y., & Bao, Y. (2024). Making and Evaluating Visible Light Splitters Using Polyethylene Kitchen Wrap. Transactions on Engineering
and Computing Sciences, 12(1). 130-152.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.121.16170
Consideration:
W (white) is noted for consideration. Fig. 29 shows the measurement with the illuminometer,
which indicates that the 1/4 wave plate is 242.5 lx and the four wraps are 241.5 lx. These are
almost the same. Fig. 30 shows the measurement with the smartphone, which indicates that the
luminance of the 1/4 wave plate is 77.4 and that of the four wraps is 77.4. These showed the
same values. In addition, because the second and subsequent sheets are stretched by hand, a
high luminance may have been calculated because of the influence of wrinkles. Fig. 31 shows
the measurement with a single-lens camera, which indicates that the luminance of 1/4 wave
plate is 33.7 and that of four wraps is 33.7. These showed the same value. Fig. 32 shows that in
the measurement with the industrial camera, the luminance of the 1/4 wave plate is 58.4 and
that of four wraps is 54.2, which are almost the same. Therefore, the four wraps have almost
the same transmittance as a commercially available 1/4 wave plate.
CONCLUSION
In this study, as an experiment to be employed in an educational facility, we proposed a method
for creating an inexpensive visible light range wave plate using a birefringent material—a
kitchen wrap—and an evaluation method using a camera and a projector. The proposed
method has the following features.
1. Education that leads to the understanding of circular polarization and elliptical
polarization can be easily imparted by creating a wave plate of any wavelength using
inexpensive materials that are familiar to us.
2. Education that leads to the understanding of the wavelength dependence of the
performance of the wave plate can be easily imparted by creating a wave plate
corresponding to any color using inexpensive materials that are familiar to us.
3. Practical education on polarization characteristics can be imparted without using
expensive equipment such as spectroscopic analyzers and lasers.
DISCLOSURES
The authors declare no conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was partly supported by Tokyo City University Interdisciplinary Research Center for
Nano Science and Technology for instrumental analysis. We would like to thank Editage
(www.editage.com) for English language editing.
References
[1]. K. M. Cvenic, L. Ivanjek, M. Planinic, K. Jelicic, A. Susac, M. Hopf, “Analyzing high school students’ reasoning
about polarization of light,” Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17, (2021).
[2]. F. Logiurato, “Teaching Light Polarization by Putting Art and Physics Together”, World Academy of
Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Educational and Pedagogical Sciences,
11(4), (2017).
[3]. S. Nakadate, K. Ishikawa, T. Hatada, and M. Isshiki, “Polarization measurement using a rotating analyzer
for optics laboratory”, The Academic Reports, the Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Polytechnic University,
18(1), 17–27, (1995).
Page 23 of 23
152
Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 12, Issue 1, February - 2024
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
[4]. S. Shimura, M. Takano, and H. Min, “Fabrication of circular polarizers using cellophane tapes and
polarizers and their performance evaluation”, Chiba University Journal of Liberal Arts and Sciences 4,
157–170, (2020).
[5]. OSA Rochester, “SUITCASE STORE”, https://www.osarochester.org/Store/, 2023 Dec. 22th.
[6]. O. M. Jakšić, “Teaching optics: Preuniversity level,” 2011 19thTelecommunications Forum (TELFOR)
Proceedings of Papers, 848–851, (2011).
[7]. J. D. Nelson, T. Z. Kosc, and P. C. Nelson, "The Optics Suitcase: educational outreach tool for inspiring
careers in light," Proc. SPIE 11143, Fifteenth Conference on Education and Training in Optics and
Photonics: ETOP 2019, 111432N, (2019).
[8]. M. Michelini, and A. Stefanel, “A path to build basic Quantum Mechanics ideas in the context of light
polarization and learning outcomes of secondary students”, J. Phys.: Conference Series, 1929, GIREP-ICPE- EPEC-MPTL 2019, (2019).
[9]. R.M.A. Azzam and N. M. Bashara, “ellipsometry and polarized light”, North-Holland, 411–414, (1977).
[10]. S. Kuroki and K. Baba, “Application to wave plates such as commercially available resin plates with
birefringence”, Tohoku-Section Joint Convention of Institutes of Electrical and Information Engineers
2011, (2011).
[11]. T. Tadokoro, supervised by Motoichi Otsu, “Illustrated Optics Experiments”, Asakura Publishing Co., Ltd.,
pp.28-96, (2016).
[12]. T. Tadokoro, K. Ishikawa, supervised by Motoichi Otsu, “Illustrated Optics Science”, Asakura Publishing
Co., Ltd., 18–108, (2014).
[13]. B. Lei, W. Liu, J. Shi, W. Wang, T. Yao, and S. Liu, "Visualization of polarization state and its application in
Optics classroom teaching," in ETOP 2017 Proceedings, X. Liu and X. Zhang, eds., (Optical Society of
America, (2017).
[14]. Yasufumi Kawamura and Tokyo University of Science Kawamura Laboratory, “Handmade experiment of
light, sound and wave to understand the theory”, Ohmsha, pp. 57-59, (2013).
[15]. Eugene Hecht, “Optics 4th ed.”, Addison Wesley, pp. 353-354, (2002).
[16]. D. T. Rampton and R. W. Grow, "Economic infrared polarizer utilizing interference effects in films of
polyethylene kitchen wrap," Appl. Opt. 15, 1034–1036 (1976).
[17]. Hitoshi Tamura, “color system and color space”, Nippon Institute of Technology Robot Vision Laboratory,
http://www3.nit.ac.jp/~tamura/multimedia/color.html, 2023 Dec. 22.