Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Forward and reverse product decompositions of depolarizing Mueller matrices

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

Because of the noncommutativity of the matrix product, the three factors into which a depolarizing Mueller matrix is decomposed, i.e., the diattenuator, the retarder, and the depolarizer, form six possible products grouped into two families, as already pointed out [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 13, 1106 (1996) ; Opt. Lett. 29, 2234 (2004) ]. We show that, apart from the generalized polar decomposition generating the first family of products, there exists a dual decomposition belonging to the second family. The mathematical procedure for this dual decomposition is given, and the symmetry existing between the two decompositions is pointed out. The choice of the most appropriate decomposition for a given practical optical arrangement is likewise discussed and illustrated by simple examples.

© 2007 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Analysis of experimental depolarizing Mueller matrices through a hybrid decomposition

Loïc Martin, Guy Le Brun, Bernard Le Jeune, Fabrice Pellen, and Sylvain Rivet
Appl. Opt. 54(1) 27-36 (2015)

Analysis of depolarizing Mueller matrices through a symmetric decomposition

Razvigor Ossikovski
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 26(5) 1109-1118 (2009)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (21)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved