ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Fresnel rhomb

Okay, picture this - have you ever seen a crystal that's shaped like a diamond or a triangle? Well, a fresnel rhomb is like that, but it's made out of glass or another transparent material.

Now, when light (like from a flashlight or the sun) hits the fresnel rhomb, it gets split into two different pathways. This happens because of the way the rhomb is shaped - it sort of bends the light in different directions.

But here's the cool part - the two pathways of light come out of the fresnel rhomb and they're actually polarized. That means, they have different types of oscillations or vibrations. Think of it like two separate playground swings, one swinging up and down and the other swinging side to side.

This polarization effect is really useful in things like cameras and telescopes. By using a fresnel rhomb, we can control the polarization of the light that enters the lens. This can help us take clearer pictures and see more detail in faraway objects.

So, in summary - a fresnel rhomb is a crystal-like object made out of transparent material that splits light into two pathways and polarizes them in different ways. It's used in cameras and telescopes to help us see things better!