It is noted that the weak pulsar theory predicts very high linear polarization of gamma radiation for the Geminga-like pulsars. In the bridge region, the degree of polarization reaches almost 75%, with an approximately constant position angle. Within the pulses, the position angle changes, and the degree of polarization drops considerably. But even the pulse-integrated emission is expected to b...

Observational data for dusty comets are summarized and systemized. The dependence of the linear polarization on various parameters (the phase angle, wavelength, etc.) is analyzed. An ensemble of aligned spheroidal particles having various sizes and chemical compositions is used to fit the linear and circular polarization observed for the comet Halley.

We summarize the current state of polarization observations of Sagittarius A*, the compact radio source and supermassive black hole candidate in the Galactic Center. These observations are providing new tools for understanding accretion disks, jets and their environments. Linear polarization observations have shown that Sgr A* is unpolarized at frequencies as high as 86 GHz. However, recent sin...

Mapping CMB polarization is an essential ingredient of current cosmological research. Particularly challenging is the measurement of an extremely weak B-mode polarization that can potentially yield unique insight on inflation. Achieving this objective requires very precise measurements of the secondary polarization components on both large and small angular scales. Scattering of the CMB in gala...

Polarization beam splitters, devices that separate the two orthogonal polarizations of light into different propagation directions, are among the most ubiquitous optical elements. However, traditionally polarization splitters rely on bulky optical materials, while emerging optoelectronic and photonic circuits require compact, chip-scale polarization splitters. Here, we show that a rectangular l...

Article history: Received 14 January 2015 Received in revised form 17 August 2015 Accepted 17 August 2015 Available online 1 September 2015 This paper estimates income polarization in China from 1978 to 2010 and decomposes the estimated polarization by population subgroups. In addition, a framework is proposed to disentangle a change in polarization into a growth and a redistribution component....

Influences of variable-angle polarization-rotated optical feedback on polarization properties of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are investigated numerically. For the so-called case A (x polarization) feedback, only the x mode is selected to pass through the feedback loop. As the polarization angle is varied from 0 degrees to 90 degrees, the dominant polarization mode switching...

Polarization of light, and visual sensitivity to it, is pervasive across aquatic and terrestrial environments. Documentation of invertebrate use of polarized light is widespread from navigation and foraging to species recognition. However, studies demonstrating that polarization body patterning serves as a communication signal (e.g., with evidence of changes in receiver behavior) are rare among...

One of the basic functionalities of photonic devices is the ability to manipulate the polarization state of light. Polarization components are usually implemented using the retardation effect in natural birefringent crystals and, thus, have a bulky design. Here, we have demonstrated the polarization manipulation of light by employing a thin subwavelength slab of metamaterial with an extremely a...

Although the function of polarization vision, the ability to discern the polarization characteristics of light, is well established in many terrestrial and benthic species, its purpose in pelagic species (squid and certain fish and crustaceans) is poorly understood [1]. A long-held hypothesis is that polarization vision in open water is used to break the mirror camouflage of silvery fish, as bi...