FRESNEL, AUGUSTIN. - FORMULATING THE GENERAL LAW OF DOUBLE REFRACTION.

Extrait d'un Mémoire sur la double Réfraction. (Lu à l'Academie des Sciences le 26 novembre 1821).

Paris, Crochard, 1825.

Contemp. hcloth. Gilt lettering on spine. A few scattered brownspots. In: "Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago.", tome 28. 448 pp. Entire volume offered. Fresnel's paper: pp. 263-279

First appearance of this importent paper - the paper was only published in full in the Mémoires two years later - in which he applies the concept of transverse waves to double refraction and representing the final construction, in the form of an equation of the fourth degree.
In the paper Fresnel also explained the fact, that in some cases of quartz the rotation of polarization is from left to right and in other cases from right to left.. He proposed the term 'helical' to denote the property of rotating the plane of polarization, exhibited by such bodies as quartz. The term 'natural rotatory polarisation' is however, generally used.

Order-nr.: 59046