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Let's assume that you somehow created polarized light in a vacuum. Is there any mechanism that can make that light unpolarized down the line?

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    $\begingroup$ Just possible in depolarizers . $\endgroup$
    – Agnius Vasiliauskas
    Commented Feb 2 at 23:51
  • $\begingroup$ Thank you @AgniusVasiliauskas, I was not aware of depolarizers :) $\endgroup$
    – cconsta1
    Commented Feb 3 at 9:09

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No. Unpolarized light is just polarized light whose polarization state is fluctuating rapidly. If light is in vacuum then the initial polarization state will remain unchanged. So if it starts out polarized it will stay polarized.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for the answer! $\endgroup$
    – cconsta1
    Commented Feb 3 at 9:25
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If the polarized light is absorbed by a blackbody, then the blackbody can re-radiate the absorbed energy, and blackbody radiation is always unpolarized.

You might say that this doesn't count, because the photons that are emitted by the blackbody aren't the same as the ones that were absorbed. But actually, in quantum field theory all particles of a given type are indistinguishable from each other, so who's to say that they're not the same?

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the answer! $\endgroup$
    – cconsta1
    Commented Feb 3 at 9:25
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    $\begingroup$ But that is due to the blackbody, not due to vacuum. $\endgroup$
    – A. P.
    Commented Feb 4 at 2:20

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