Abstract

A description of Raman scattering based on the theory by Barron and on Stokes Mueller formalism was developed into a uniform mathematical calculus such that Raman scattering can now be easily represented by a simple phenomenological matrix. This matrix, the Mueller matrix of a modulator driven by a square-wave voltage, and the matrix for a laser regarded as a fictitious polarizer are presented for the first time. With the use of these three matrices and the ones for the analyzer, the polarizer, the linearly birefringent sample cell, the circularly birefringent sample, and the partially polarizing detector, the main reasons for the appearance of artifacts in Raman optical activity have been identified. On the basis of a calculation for right-angle scattering of an isotropic solution of chiral molecules, sources of artifacts appear to be the linear birefringence of the cell walls and of the modulator material. Phase-sensitive detection is found to observe Raman optical activity with a minimal number of artifacts.

Raman optical activity by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectral interferometry

Kotaro Hiramatsu, Hideaki Kano, and Takashi Nagata
Opt. Express 21(11) 13515-13521 (2013)

Characterization of natural and artificial optical activity by the Mueller matrix for oblique incidence, total internal reflection, and Brewster angle

Ezekiel Bahar
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25(8) 1294-1302 (2008)

Raman optical activity spectroscopy by visible-excited coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering

Kotaro Hiramatsu, Philippe Leproux, Vincent Couderc, Takashi Nagata, and Hideaki Kano
Opt. Lett. 40(17) 4170-4173 (2015)

Effects of optical activity to Mueller matrix ellipsometry of composed waveplates

Daniel Vala, Pierre Koleják, Kamil Postava, Morten Kildemo, Pavlína Provazníková, and Jaromír Pištora
Opt. Express 29(7) 10434-10450 (2021)

Quaternion algebra for Stokes–Mueller formalism

Ertan Kuntman, Mehmet Ali Kuntman, Adolf Canillas, and Oriol Arteaga
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 36(4) 492-497 (2019)