For this project I will be calculating, modeling, and discussing the differences in polarization effects, structure, and applications of liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), and cathode-ray tube display (CRT) screens and how such differences affect what we perceive and what we are meant to perceive with the human eye.

Calculations: I will be using the 2×2 Jones matrix (which represents a polarization state of light) as acting on a Jones vector in order to formulate a model for LCD screens. A sampling of equations I may need to employ can be found here in an excerpt from Field Guide to Polarization. I would also like to look at what effects the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding filter has in the PDP screens and how both of these models differ from the seemingly simpler CRT screens.

Visualization: I hope to make original models of polarization effects using Mathematica, while also illustrating how these effects come into play with regards to how LCD, PDP, and CRT screens function. I will also focus on how color is or is not affected or produced by different polarization.

Application: I will then relate my investigation with recent work being done to improve upon the optics employed in display screens, possibly in correcting perceived visual flaws or mechanics. I will also discuss how the effects of polarization with regards to display screens are currently being used in psychological studies in behavior based on group conflict and interaction with respect to perception.

References:

Collett, Edward. Field Guide to Polarization. Washington: SPIE Press, 2005.

Mori, Kazuo. “Surreptitiously projecting different movies to two subsets of viewers.” Behavior Research Methods Vol. 35.4 (2003): 599-604. 10 April 2012. <http://www.springerlink.com/content/n2885j4541047k61/>.