Brewster's Angle

Fresnel equations for s- and p-polarized light at a dielectric interface

Interface Parameters

Reflectance

0.000
Rₛ (⊥ polariz)
0.000
Rₚ (∥ polariz)
0.000
Tₛ transmit
0.000
Tₚ transmit

Brewster's Angle

θ_B = arctan(n₂/n₁) = 56.3°
At Brewster's angle, Rₚ = 0. Reflected light is perfectly s-polarized.

Fresnel Equations

rₛ = (n₁cosθᵢ − n₂cosθₜ) / (n₁cosθᵢ + n₂cosθₜ)
rₚ = (n₂cosθᵢ − n₁cosθₜ) / (n₂cosθᵢ + n₁cosθₜ)
Rₛ = |rₛ|²   Rₚ = |rₚ|²
Tₛ = 1 − Rₛ   Tₚ = 1 − Rₚ

Legend

s-polarization (Rₛ)
p-polarization (Rₚ)
Brewster's angle