Off-diagonal Mueller matrix elements in backscattering from highly diffusive media

Degree of polarization of light scattered from correlated surface and bulk disorders

Using a single scattering theory, we derive the expression of the degree of polarization of the light scattered from a layer exhibiting both surface and volume scattering. The expression puts forward the intimate connection between the degree of polarization and the statistical correlation between surface and volume disorders. It also permits a quantitative analysis of depolarization for uncorrelated, partially correlated and perfectly correlated disorders. We show that measuring the degree of polarization could allow one to assess the surface-volume correlation function, and that, reciprocally, the degree of polarization could be engineered by an appropriate design of the correlation function.

Perfect depolarization in single scattering of light from uncorrelated surface and volume disorder

We demonstrate that single scattering of p-polarized waves from uncorrelated surface and volume disorder can lead to perfect depolarization. The degree of polarization vanishes in specific scattering directions that can be characterized based on simple geometric arguments. Depolarization results from a different polarization response of each source of disorder, which provides a clear physical interpretation of the depolarization mechanism.

Single-pulse, Kerr-effect Mueller matrix LiDAR polarimeter

We present a novel light detection and ranging (LiDAR) polarimeter that enables measurement of 12 of 16 sample Mueller matrix elements in a single, 10 ns pulse. The new polarization state generator (PSG) leverages Kerr phase modulation in a birefringent optical fiber, creating a probe pulse characterized by temporally varying polarization. Theoretical expressions for the Polarization State Generator (PSG) Stokes vector are derived for birefringent walk-off and no walk-off and incorporated into a time-dependent polarimeter signal model employing multiple polarization state analyzers (PSA). Polarimeter modeling compares the Kerr effect and electro-optic phase modulator-based PSG using a single Polarization State Analyzer (PSA) and a scattering sample yielding similarly good performance for both. We include results from an experimental demonstration of the Kerr effect PSG.

Aperture size effects on backscatter intensity measurements in Earth and space remote sensing

Most materials show a peaked intensity versus phase (light-source-target-detector angle) curve. For nonnegligible angular apertures of the source and/or the detector, the measured intensity at and near zero phase (backscatter) is lower than the real one. We derive an averaging aperture integral that represents this effect, and with it we invert measured intensity values to obtain the actual intensity curve. We also give a practical formula for estimating the magnitude of the aperture effect in zero-phase intensity measurements and show that only two such measurements made at different apertures are sufficient for deriving the real intensity. These corrections are needed in the comparison of measured reflectances in an increasing number of validation efforts for remote sensing applications requiring ground truth measurements.

Polarized light-pulse transport through scattering media

The propagation of a polarized pulse in random media is investigated using the discrete-ordinates method to solve the transient vector radiative transfer. The angular analysis of the transient polarized features of scattering fluxes makes it possible to investigate subtle details of the polarization flip encountered for circularly polarized waves. We found that, depending on the geometry, the state of polarization, and the angle of detection, the degree of polarization decays at either a slower or faster rate when the beam is impinging at an angle far from the normal incidence. At normal incidence, our results confirm that, for large particles, the circular polarization maintains a greater degree of polarization.

Polarization of transmission scattering simulated by using a multiple-facets model

A Mueller matrix for scattering by a rough plane surface of a glass hemisphere was simulated by using a micro-facet model. The algorithms are formulated in vector representation in terms of the input and output directions. The single-facet scattering simulation used the results of the Kirchhoff integral for medium rough surfaces with exponential height distribution. Scatterings by two or more facets were also simulated. For a fixed angle between the incident and the detection directions, the transmission scattering and its polarization properties were symmetric when plotted against the off-specular incident angle. The single-facet model generated no depolarization or polarization change. When double-facet scattering was included, polarizations were changed appreciably while depolarization was still very small. Depolarization increased appreciably when scattering by higher orders was included. The simulated results that include all orders of scattering fit excellently to the measured scattering transmittance and its polarization and depolarization.