right-hand polarization

right-hand polarization

[′rīt ¦hand ‚pō·lə·rə′zā·shən]
(electromagnetism)
In elementary particle discussions, circular or elliptical polarization of an electromagnetic wave in which the electric field vector at a fixed point in space rotates in the right-hand sense about the direction of propagation; in optics, the opposite convention is used; in facing the source of the beam, the electric vector is observed to rotate clockwise.
References in periodicals archive ?
Clockwise rotation of the electric field vector is designated as right-hand polarization (RH) and counterclockwise rotation is left-hand polarization (LH), for an observer looking in the direction of propagation.
A brief tutorial on antenna measurements
One curious aspect of the radio signals, Kaiser says, is the intricate polarization pattern of the smooth ones, showing emissions with both left - and right-hand polarization even though they seem associated with just one of Neptune's magnetic poles -- "the weak one, the north pole," according to Kaiser.
Neptune: a new page in the book of worlds
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