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Depolarizing Mueller matrices: how to decompose them?
Author(s) -
Ossikovski R.,
Anastasiadou M.,
Ben Hatit S.,
GarciaCaurel E.,
De Martino A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.200777793
Subject(s) - mueller calculus , depolarization , realizability , matrix (chemical analysis) , singularity , mathematics , connection (principal bundle) , decomposition , matrix decomposition , physics , mathematical analysis , eigenvalues and eigenvectors , quantum mechanics , chemistry , algorithm , geometry , polarimetry , scattering , biophysics , organic chemistry , chromatography , biology
The various decompositions of depolarizing Mueller matrices into products of basic optical devices, i.e. retarders, diattenuators and depolarizers, are critically revisited and discussed. Both classic as well as recently proposed factorizations are reviewed. Physical and calculation aspects such as depolarization and matrix singularity are comparatively addressed. The problems of physical realizability and matrix filtering are treated in connection with the sum decomposition of a depolarizing Mueller matrix. Experimental matrices are factorized using the different decompositions and physically interpreted. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)