808 Pages 306 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Polarized light is a pervasive influence in our world—and scientists and engineers in a variety of fields require the tools to understand, measure, and apply it to their advantage. Offering an in-depth examination of the subject and a description of its applications, Polarized Light, Third Edition serves as a comprehensive self-study tool complete with an extensive mathematical analysis of the Mueller matrix and coverage of Maxwell’s equations.

    Links Historical Developments to Current Applications and Future Innovations

    This book starts with a general description of light and continues with a complete exploration of polarized light, including how it is produced and its practical applications. The author incorporates basic topics, such as polarization by refraction and reflection, polarization elements, anisotropic materials, polarization formalisms (Mueller–Stokes and Jones) and associated mathematics, and polarimetry, or the science of polarization measurement.

    New to the Third Edition:

    • A new introductory chapter
    • Chapters on: polarized light in nature, and form birefringence
    • A review of the history of polarized light, and a chapter on the interference laws of Fresnel and Arago—both completely re-written
    • A new appendix on conventions used in polarized light
    • New graphics, and black-and-white photos and color plates

    Divided into four parts, this book covers the fundamental concepts and theoretical framework of polarized light. Next, it thoroughly explores the science of polarimetry, followed by discussion of polarized light applications. The author concludes by discussing how our polarized light framework is applied to physics concepts, such as accelerating charges and quantum systems.

    Building on the solid foundation of the first two editions, this book reorganizes and updates existing material on fundamentals, theory, polarimetry, and applications. It adds new chapters, graphics, and color photos, as well as a new appendix on conventions used in polarized light. As a result, the author has re-established this book’s lofty status in the pantheon of literature on this important field.

    Part I: Introduction to Polarized Light

    Introduction

    Polarization in the Natural Environment

    Sources of Polarized Light

    Polarized Light in the Atmosphere

    Production of Polarized Light by Animals

    Polarization Vision in the Animal Kingdom

    Wave Equation in Classical Optics

    The Wave Equation

    Young’s Interference Experiment

    Reflection and Transmission of a Wave at an Interface

    The Polarization Ellipse

    The Instantaneous Optical Field and the Polarization Ellipse

    Specialized (Degenerate) Forms of the Polarization Ellipse

    Elliptical Parameters of the Polarization Ellipse

    Stokes Polarization Parameters

    Derivation of Stokes Polarization Parameters

    Stokes Vector

    Classical Measurement of Stokes Polarization Parameters

    Stokes Parameters for Unpolarized and Partially Polarized Light

    Additional Properties of Stokes Polarization Parameters

    Stokes Parameters and the Coherency Matrix

    Stokes Parameters and the Pauli Matrices

    Mueller Matrices for Polarizing Components

    Mueller Matrix of a Linear Diattenuator (Polarizer)

    Mueller Matrix of a Linear Retarder

    Mueller Matrix of a Rotator

    Mueller Matrices for Rotated Polarizing Components

    Generation of Elliptically Polarized Light

    Mueller Matrix of a Depolarizer

    Fresnel Equations: Derivation and Mueller Matrix Formulation

    Fresnel Equations for Reflection and Transmission

    Mueller Matrices for Reflection and Transmission at an Air–Dielectric Interface

    Special Forms for Mueller Matrices for Reflection and Transmission

    Emission Polarization

    Mathematics of the Mueller Matrix

    Constraints on the Mueller Matrix

    Eigenvector and Eigenvalue Analysis

    Example Eigenvector Analysis

    The Lu–Chipman Decomposition

    Decomposition Order

    Decomposition of Depolarizing Matrices with Depolarization Symmetry

    Decomposition Using Matrix Roots

    Summary

    Mueller Matrices for Dielectric Plates

    The Diagonal Mueller Matrix and the Abcd Polarization Matrix

    Mueller Matrices for Single and Multiple Dielectric Plates

    The Jones Matrix Formalism

    The Jones Vector

    Jones Matrices for the Polarizer, Retarder, and Rotator

    Applications of the Jones Vector and Jones Matrices

    Jones Matrices for Homogeneous Elliptical Polarizers and Retarders

    The Poincare Sphere

    Theory of the Poincare Sphere

    Projection of the Complex Plane onto a Sphere

    Applications of the Poincare Sphere

    Fresnel–Arago Interference Laws

    Stokes Vector and Unpolarized Light

    Young’s Double Slit Experiment

    Double Slit with Parallel Polarizers: The First Law

    Double Slit with Perpendicular Polarizers: The Second Law

    Double Slit and the Third Law

    Double Slit and the Fourth Law

     

    Part II: Polarimetry

    Introduction

    Methods of Measuring Stokes Polarization Parameters

    Classical Measurement Method: Quarter-Wave Retarder and Polarizer Method

    Measurement of Stokes Parameters Using a Circular Polarizer

    Null-Intensity Method

    Fourier Analysis Using a Rotating Quarter-Wave Retarder

    Method of Kent and Lawson

    Simple Tests to Determine the State of Polarization of an Optical Beam

    Measurement of the Characteristics of Polarizing Elements

    Measurement of Attenuation Coefficients of a Polarizer (Diattenuator)

    Measurement of the Phase Shift of a Retarder

    Measurement of Rotation Angle of a Rotator

    Stokes Polarimetry

    Rotating Element Polarimetry

    Oscillating Element Polarimetry

    Phase Modulation Polarimetry

    Techniques in Simultaneous Measurement of Stokes Vector Elements

    Optimization of Polarimeters

    Mueller Matrix Polarimetry

    Dual Rotating Retarder Polarimetry

    Other Mueller Matrix Polarimetry Methods

    Techniques in Imaging Polarimetry

    Historical Perspective

    Measurement Considerations

    Measurement Strategies and Data Reduction Techniques

    General Measurement Strategies: Imaging Architecture for Integrated Polarimeters

    System Considerations

    Summary

    Channeled Polarimetry for Snapshot Measurements

    Channeled Polarimetry

    Channeled Spectropolarimetry

    Channeled Imaging Polarimetry

    Sources of Error in Channeled Polarimetry

    Mueller Matrix Channeled Spectropolarimeters

    Channeled Ellipsometers

     

    Part III: Applications

    Introduction

    Crystal Optics

    Review of Concepts from Electromagnetism

    Crystalline Materials and Their Properties

    Crystals

    Application of Electric Fields: Induced Birefringence and Polarization Modulation

    Magneto-Optics

    Liquid Crystals

    Modulation of Light

    Photoelastic Modulators

    Concluding Remarks

    Optics of Metals

    Maxwell’s Equations for Absorbing Media

    Principal Angle of Incidence Measurement of Refractive Index and Absorption Index of Optically Absorbing Materials

    Measurement of Refractive Index and Absorption Index at an Incident Angle of 45°

    Polarization Optical Elements

    Polarizers

    Retarders

    Rotators

    Depolarizers

    Ellipsometry

    Fundamental Equation of Classical Ellipsometry

    Classical Measurement of the Ellipsometric Parameters Psi (ψ) and Delta (Δ)

    Solution of the Fundamental Equation of Ellipsometry

    Further Developments in Ellipsometry: Mueller Matrix Representation of ψ and Δ

    Form Birefringence and Meanderline Retarders

    Form Birefringence

    Meanderline Elements

     

    Part IV: Classical and Quantum Theory of Radiation by Accelerating Charges

    Introduction to Classical and Quantum Theory of Radiation by Accelerating Charges

    Maxwell’s Equations for Electromagnetic Fields

    The Classical Radiation Field

    Field Components of the Radiation Field

    Relation between Unit Vector in Spherical Coordinates and Cartesian Coordinates

    Relation between Poynting Vector and Stokes Parameters

    Radiation Emitted by Accelerating Charges

    Stokes Vector for a Linearly Oscillating Charge

    Stokes Vector for an Ensemble of Randomly Oriented Oscillating Charges

    Stokes Vector for a Charge Rotating in a Circle

    Stokes Vector for a Charge Moving in an Ellipse

    Radiation of an Accelerating Charge in the Electromagnetic Field

    30.1 Motion of a Charge in an Electromagnetic Field

    30.2 Stokes Vectors for Radiation Emitted by Accelerating Charges

    The Classical Zeeman Effect

    Historical Introduction

    Motion of a Bound Charge in a Constant Magnetic Field

    Stokes Vector for the Zeeman Effect

    Further Applications of the Classical Radiation Theory

    Relativistic Radiation and the Stokes Vector for a Linear Oscillator

    Relativistic Motion of a Charge Moving in a Circle: Synchrotron Radiation

    Čerenkov Effect

    Thomson and Rayleigh Scattering

    The Stokes Parameters and Mueller Matrices for Optical Activity and Faraday Rotation

    Optical Activity

    Faraday Rotation in a Transparent Medium

    Faraday Rotation in a Plasma

    Stokes Parameters for Quantum Systems

    Relation between Stokes Polarization Parameters and Quantum Mechanical Density Matrix

    Note on Perrin’s Introduction of Stokes Parameters, the Density Matrix, and Linearity of Mueller Matrix Elements

    Radiation Equations for Quantum Mechanical Systems

    Stokes Vectors for Quantum Mechanical Systems

     

    Appendices:

    Conventions in Polarized Light

    Jones and Stokes Vectors

    Jones and Mueller Matrices

    Relationships between the Jones and Mueller Matrix Elements

    Vector Representation of the Optical Field: Application to Optical Activity

    Biography

    Dr. Dennis Goldstein is a senior physicist with Polaris Sensor Technologies, Inc., following a 28-year career in electro-optics research at the Air Force Research Laboratory. He is a fellow of SPIE and AFRL, and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona and University of Florida. He also teaches short courses for the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition to Polarized Light, Dr. Goldstein has published more than 70 papers and technical reports, and two book chapters. He holds six patents.