Unified formalism for treating polarization effects using Stokes parameters and the Lorentz group

Charles S. Brown

doi:10.1117/12.138787

11 December 1992 Unified formalism for treating polarization effects using Stokes parameters and the Lorentz group

Charles S. Brown

Proceedings Volume 1746, Polarization Analysis and Measurement; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.138787
Event: San Diego '92, 1992, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

In this paper, a unified formalism for treating polarization effects in single mode optical fibers is presented. Central to this approach is the utilization of operator and group theory techniques to exploit the analogy that exists between the dichroism and birefringence elements of the Mueller matrix of polarization optics, and the boost and rotation generators, respectively, of the Lorentz transformation of special relativity. This formalism incorporates the other popular polarization formalism (i.e., the Jones, the coherency (or density) matrix, and the Mueller formalisms) into a single unified formalism. Moreover, the formalism extends the range of exactly solvable models by providing a new and straightforward method of calculating both the deterministic and the stochastic Mueller operators for a number of useful cases.

Citation Download Citation

Charles S. Brown "Unified formalism for treating polarization effects using Stokes parameters and the Lorentz group", Proc. SPIE 1746, Polarization Analysis and Measurement, (11 December 1992); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.138787

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