Statistical signatures of random media and their correlation to polarization properties

Abstract

A single procedure based on speckle statistics is proposed to identify the scattering origins of light (surface or bulk). Successful results are obtained with high-scattering samples, which offers complementary techniques for imaging or characterization in random media. The speckle statistics are shown to be correlated to partial polarization. Angle-resolved ellipsometric data confirm all conclusions.

Spatial depolarization of light from the bulks: electromagnetic prediction

“…with ν ij the scattering coefficients [19]. This last relationship is valid under the assumption of achromatic scattering coefficients within the laser band-pass [13], in accordance with the assumption of a perfectly monochromatic source.…”

“…Specific effects were recently emphasized at the speckle size, like the local (temporal) enpolarization of light [13][14][15], and the multi-scale (spatial) depolarization [11,12,16]. Most effects were confirmed by experiment [16][17][18][19], which justifies a motivation to go further in these fields.…”

“…We start with a brief recall on spatial (global) depolarization, not to be confused with temporal (local) depolarization [3,11,19]. Indeed the incident light is assumed to be collimated, fully polarized and coherent (perfectly monochromatic), a situation where temporal depolarization does not occur.…”

Ultrafast diffraction conoscopy of the structural phase transition in VO2 : Evidence of two lattice distortions

“…1). Light scattering is a process directly related to surface irregularities and optical properties and provides information about material inhomogeneities [49][50][51][52]. UDC technique is useful for statistical analysis of transient crystallographic symmetry of polydomain highly orientated films with a thickness about one order of magnitude less than the laser probe wavelength.…”

Angle-resolved ellipsometric data for selective imaging in scattering media

“…The cancellation technique finds its limits in the effects of partial or total depolarization [1,10] resulting from spatial averaging. Intensities resulting from equations (4-6) must be rewritten with the complex degree of coherence [2,3], which quantifies the variations of polarization within the receiver aperture.…”