🚀 go-pugleaf

Responses by Sarfatti in [..]:
From MRG3@PSUVM.PSU.EDU Thu Nov 12 06:00:23 1992
Date:    Thu, 12 Nov 92 09:01 EST
From: <MRG3@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: the final blow!
To: sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us

your notation is extremly confusing, I assume that
a,b indicate subsytem a,b  [YES]
o,e indicate ordinary, extraordinary rays in a birefringent crystal [YES]
+,- indicate two orthogonal spin directions [YES]

you then say
> so that |a,e,+> = i|a,o,+>  [YES if input superposition before action of
half-wave plate is |a,e,+> - |a,o,-> - the phase factor will depend on
superposition]

This indicates that the two states differ by a phase, and hence the
ordinary ray state is not linearly independent of the extraordinary ray.

[NO! it does not mean that at all! The ordinary ray is |a,o,->, the half-
wave plate rotates its plane of polarization by 90 degrees so it is no
longer an ordinary ray but it is now |a,o,+> having the same polarization
as the extraordinary ray!]

But any polarization can be written as a linear superposition of these two
rays.They are not orthogonal, but they are linearly independent.  I would
think that, rather than gloating over this result, you would be dismayed
that consistency of your description implies such a nonphysical condition.

Of course, I may be misinterpreting your notation, [YES you are.] but there
have been a large number of well formulated arguments as to why your
description is not valid.

-mike gallis