A Review of Emission Polarization

Certain experiments had indicated that the polarization of emitted radiation was much more prevalent than had been expected. This paper is intended to present some of the background required to understand the phenomenon of emission polarization, which is not as well-known as it should be. The explanation that the phenomenon involves refraction of all the emitted radiation, advanced by Millikan in 1895, is still accepted today. More recent work, substantiating Millikan's explanation, is cited.