A new method of polarimetry which we have called ‘ghost polarimetry’ is suggested. The principle underlying the ghost imaging concept is generalized to polarization-sensitive objects which change the polarization state of incident light. Our theoretical model treats an object as a Jones matrix. In this approach, the information on the polarization properties of the object is contained in the elements of this matrix. We show that it is possible to connect the elements of Jones matrix with mutual correlation functions of the currents measured in the object arm and in two reference-arms where the signals in two orthogonal polarizations are registered. We demonstrate that the developed method allows to obtain polarization ghost image and therefore to identify the polarization structure of the object. Also it is shown that in order to implement this method the object should be illuminated by unpolarized incoherent light with Gaussian statistics. We believe that expanding the principle of ghost imaging to polarization sensitive objects will expand the diagnostic capabilities of existing polarimetry and ellipsometry technique.
We present an experimental implementation of the ghost polarimetry concept in unpolarized light, which allows obtaining complete information on the spatial distribution of polarization properties of objects with linear dichroism. It is theoretically shown that it is possible to restore the spatial distribution of the azimuth and a value of anisotropy of such objects. The developed technique allows us to free up the object arm from all additional optical elements, including polarizers. The experimental results of measuring the dichroism parameters of a test four-sectional sample are presented, which demonstrate the efficiency of the method and confirm the correctness of the developed theoretical model.
The theory of the formation of polarization ghost images in biphoton light of spontaneous parametric scattering is developed. On the basis of the developed theory, the quantum ghost polarimetry concept has been suggested, which makes it possible to obtain two-dimensional maps of the polarization properties of objects by measuring a set of correlation functions obtained in various polarization states of photons. For objects with linear dichroism, a complete set of measurement states is found, which allows for obtaining the maps of the distributions of absorption, value, and azimuth of anisotropy.
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