Full Mueller matrix polarimeters

The constants, ai and fi., are the Fourier coefficients of the intensity and are the following combinations of the Mueller matrix components of the sample  

Full Mueller matrix polarimeter using rotating quarter-wave plates. 

In this scheme, analog Fourier decomposition of the signal using lock-in amplifiers becomes impractical and a digital fast Fourier transformation is preferred. Such an analysis would lead to 22 linear combinations of the 16 Mueller matrix components of the sample. This is an overspecified system, and the extra information can be used as either an internal check of consistency or discarded. It is important to make proper choices of the angular velocities, and D2. Clearly, these frequencies cannot be simple multiplies of one 

In practice, the quarter-wave plates will possess some imperfection in retardation. Furthermore, the phase angle of the plates may not be zero relative to the mechanical rotation device. Both sources of error can be taken into account. For example, an imperfect quarter-wave plate with retardation S = tc/2 + (3 and a phase offset of ) would produce the following Stokes vector for the (P/RQ) 5G, 

Using these vectors, the intensity signal can be readily calculated for a sample with an arbitrary Mueller matrix and the result is of the same form as equation (8.46). The coefficients a- and bi will again be linear combinations of the sample s Mueller matrix 

---

The design of a full Mueller matrix polarimeter based on a combination of a (P/RQ) psG and a (RQ/P)psa is shown in Figure 8.11. Here two rotary quarter wave plate... 

A full Mueller matrix polarimeter can also be fashioned from the (P/PEM1/PEM2)/,SG and the (PEM3/PEM4/P)/, since these designs, like the rotating... 

---