Brewster angle, θB

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.BT07336
When an unpolarized planar electromagnetic wavefront impinges on a flat dielectric surface, there is a unique angle (θB), commonly referred to as Brewster angle, at which the reflected waves are all polarized into a single plane.
Notes:
  1. Expression for Brewster angle: θB=arctann2n1=arctan(ε2ε1)1/2 where n2 and n1 are the refractive indices of the receiving surface and the initial medium, respectively, and ε2 and ε1 are the relative static permittivities (formerly called dielectric constants).
  2. For a randomly polarized beam incident at Brewster angle, the electric fields of the reflected and refracted waves are perpendicular to each other
  3. For a wave incident from air on water (n=1.333), glass (n=1.515), and diamond (n=2.417), the Brewster angles are 53, 57, and 67.5 degrees, respectively.
Source:
PAC, 2007, 79, 293. (Glossary of terms used in photochemistry, 3rd edition (IUPAC Recommendations 2006)) on page 310 [Terms] [Paper]
Citation: 'Brewster angle' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.BT07336 RIS BibTex EndNote
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