A polarizing microscope is a special kind of microscope that utilizes two polarizing lens to procure certain visual data from the specimen. The polarizing microscope is used extensively in the field of visual mineralogy which supports such applications as geology, asbestos testing, and forensic science. Often those working in dissimilar fields will sometimes refer to the polarizing microscope by dissimilar names such as geology microscope, petrographic microscope, pol microscope, and Plm (polarized light microscope.)
The key unlikeness in the middle of the polarizing microscope and a approved blend microscope is the expanding of a fixed polarizer in the middle of the light source and the specimen and the expanding of an adjustable polarizer in the middle of the objective and the eyepieces. The 2nd polarizer is called the "analyzer" and ordinarily can insert in and out on a rotating piece in the neck of the microscope. Other base accessories include a rotating stage and insertable retardation plates made from gypsum or quartz.
With these further elements, the this microscope can procure visual data from a specimen that no other microscope can. The key visual data ready includes refractive index, birefringence, sign of elongation, pleochroism, and angle of extinction, all of which provide clues to the crystallography of the material that is being investigated.
The first uses of these kinds of microscopes over one hundred years ago was the identification of minerals in geology. In addition, the most base form of lab pathology to test for asbestos is performed with a polarizing microscope. Because of the their potential to provide visual data, these kind of microscopes are very ordinarily used in forensic science where the identification of unknown materials is a routine part of the job. Some of the first evidence disputing the claimed age of the so-called "Shroud of Turin" was carefully by pathology of pigments using a polarized light microscope.
The polarizing microscope is a very versatile and noteworthy instrument in the identification of materials. It is a key tool in some scientific fields, and can sometimes be the best option over more expensive technologies. For example, in routine asbestos pathology the polarizing microscope was carefully to be more exact and much more cost productive than the other high-tech options that were first investigated, such as x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It is a noteworthy tool with many applications.
Nikon's MicroscopyU has quite a bit of data on how the polarizers and the science work to provide analytical information: http://www.microscopyu.com/articles/polarized/polarizedintro.html
