DayLux Lab

Magneto-Optical Experiment Analyzer



DayLux Lab

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Published Experiment Results

Validated lab data from the DayLux optical bench

Phase 1: Malus's Law — Polarization vs Intensity

March 3, 2026 — Automated 91-point sweep (0°–180° in 2° steps)
650nm red laser → K&F Concept polarizing film (stepper-driven rotation) → NTE3034A phototransistor → ESP32 12-bit ADC

R² (Best Run)
0.938
Good fit — cos² confirmed
Data Points
91
0° to 180° in 2° steps
Extinction Ratio
2060:1
Max ADC / Min ADC
Peak Intensity
50.3%
At 174° (parallel polarizers)
Amplitude (A)2060 ADC (50.3%)
Phase shift (φ)8.85°
Null angle (crossed)81.1°
Peak angle (parallel)171.1°
R² (this dataset)0.919432
R² (best session run)0.938
GOOD FIT — Data follows Malus's Law (I = I₀ · cos²θ). Laser guide system pending for R² > 0.95.

Malus's Law — Raw ADC vs Polarizer Angle

Full Dataset (91 points) — March 3, 2026 01:18 UTC

# Angle (°) Raw ADC Voltage (V) Intensity %

Methodology & Notes

FirmwareDayLux Light Meter v1.0 (ESP32 + SSD1306 OLED)
ADC Config12-bit (0–4095), 3.3V ref, 16x oversampling
MotorNEMA 14 + A4988 (1/4 microstep), 2.32x belt ratio
Sweep300ms settle per step, 91 measurements, ~27s total
CalibrationDark offset = 0 (sensor blocked), ambient light blocked
Curve FitADC = A · cos²(θ + φ) + dark_floor (scipy curve_fit)
Patent ClaimsValidates Claims 1–3, 44–46 (polarization-based intensity control)

Primary R² limitation: handheld laser alignment drift during 180° sweep. A mechanical laser guide rail (on order) will fix beam path stability and is expected to push R² above 0.95. The cos² curve shape is unambiguous across all runs (6 sweeps, R² range 0.77–0.94).

Experiment Roadmap

Magneto-Optical Beam Combining — 5-Phase Validation Program

Overall Progress
1 / 5
COMPLETED
Phase 1

Malus's Law — Polarization vs Intensity

Verify that light intensity through a rotating polarizer follows the cos²(θ) curve predicted by Malus's Law. This is the foundation for all polarization-based beam routing in the DayLux system.

Setup 650nm red laser → K&F polarizing film (rotated 0°–180°) → NTE3034A phototransistor
Measurement ESP32 + SSD1306 OLED light meter station (custom firmware), 12-bit ADC, 16x oversampling
Key Result R² = 0.938 — cos² curve confirmed (automated 91-point sweep)
Extinction Ratio 2060:1 (50.3% max → 0.0% min at null zone 62°–82°)
Patent Claims Validates Claims 1–3, 44–46 (polarization-based intensity control)
Date March 2–3, 2026 (6 sweeps, iterative optimization)
Video Watch Lab Video
Lab Photos — March 2, 2026
DayLux measurement station — laser, polarizer, and stepper-driven rotation mechanism
Measurement station: laser + belt-driven polarizer + NTE3034A sensor on ESP32 breadboard
DayLux automated polarizer sweep rig — stepper motor with timing belt
Automated sweep rig: NEMA 14 stepper + timing belt drives polarizer rotation (1.8°/step precision)
PENDING
Phase 2

PBS Beam Combining — Two Lasers Into One

Use a 10mm Polarizing Beam Splitter (PBS) cube to combine two orthogonally polarized laser beams into a single output beam with minimal loss. Proves the core beam combining principle.

Setup 2× 650nm lasers (orthogonal polarization) → PBS cube → NTE3034A sensor
Equipment Needed 650nm PBS cube 10×10mm (ordered, arriving ~Mar 13–25)
Target Combined output ≥ 90% of (Beam A + Beam B) individual sum
Patent Claims Validates Claims 4–8 (beam combining, junction routing)
PENDING
Phase 3

Faraday Rotation — Permanent Magnets

Demonstrate that a magnetic field rotates the polarization plane of light passing through a glass rod (Faraday effect). Stack ring magnets around a borosilicate glass rod and measure intensity change through crossed polarizers.

Setup Laser → polarizer → glass rod inside ring magnets → analyzer polarizer → sensor
Equipment Needed 1.5" ring magnets (on hand), borosilicate glass rods (ordered), optical bench (ordered)
Target Measurable intensity change (>1%) with/without magnets = rotation detected
Patent Claims Validates Claims 47–52 (magneto-optical polarization control)
PENDING
Phase 4

Electromagnet Variable Control — The Key Innovation

Replace permanent magnets with a coil electromagnet. Sweep current from 0–2A and measure polarization rotation as a function of current. This proves electronically-controlled beam routing — the core DayLux patent claim.

Setup Laser → polarizer → glass rod inside coil → analyzer → sensor. MOSFET + DAC for current control.
Equipment Needed 28AWG magnet wire (ordered), IRLZ44N MOSFETs (ordered), 0–30V power supply (ordered)
Target Intensity follows cos²(k·current) curve — continuous electronic control of light routing
Patent Claims Validates Claims 47–65 (electronically controlled magneto-optical routing, real-time adaptive control)
PENDING
Phase 5

Fresnel Lens Sunlight + Solar Panel Output

Take the system outdoors. Use two 200mm Fresnel lenses (f/0.5, 100mm focal length) to concentrate real sunlight through the polarization control system and measure output on small solar panels. This is the full proof-of-concept for DayLux solar light routing.

Setup Sunlight → Fresnel lens → polarizer + Faraday cell → second Fresnel lens → solar panel
Equipment Needed 2× 200mm Fresnel lenses (on hand), small solar panels (on hand), multimeter for panel voltage
Target Measurable solar panel voltage increase with concentrated, polarization-controlled sunlight
Patent Claims Validates full system: Claims 1–65 (complete solar light collection, routing, and distribution)

Patent Reference

Application#63/991,168
FiledFebruary 26, 2026
Total Claims65
StatusProvisional Patent Filed (USPTO)
InventorJonathan Swanson

Select Experiment Type

🔍

Malus's Law

Polarizer angle vs intensity (cos² curve)

💡

PBS Beam Combining

Two laser beams through PBS cube

🧲

Faraday Rotation

Permanent magnets on glass rod

⚡

Electromagnet Control

Variable current = variable rotation

☀

Fresnel Lens + Solar

Concentrated sunlight + solar panels

Live Monitor

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Real-Time Intensity

Serial Output

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Experiment

Experiment Plot

Data Points

# Variable Raw ADC Voltage Intensity %