Pulsars reveal the magnetic field in neighboring reaches of space because they typically
emit polarized light — radio waves that vibrate in a particular plane as they travel through space.
But dust in the Milky Way also
emits polarized light that can have the same curlicue pattern imprinted on it.
Not exact matches
It is also interesting that the
light emitted at the ends is circularly
polarized and evenly distributed over the cross-section of the rods.
One problem in developing more efficient organic LED
light bulbs and displays for TVs and phones is that much of the
light is
polarized in one direction and thus trapped within the
light -
emitting diode, or LED.