Related papers: Into the third dimension: stochastic measurements …
The measurement of radio polarization may be regarded as a three-dimensional statistical problem because the large photon densities at radio wavelengths allow the simultaneous detection of the three Stokes parameters which completely…
We comprehensively review the quantum theory of the polarization properties of light. In classical optics, these traits are characterized by the Stokes parameters, which can be geometrically interpreted using the Poincar\'e sphere.…
Radio polarimetry is a three-dimensional statistical problem. The three-dimensional aspect of the problem arises from the Stokes parameters Q, U, and V, which completely describe the polarization of electromagnetic radiation and…
A four-dimensional statistical description of electromagnetic radiation is developed and applied to the analysis of radio pulsar polarization. The new formalism provides an elementary statistical explanation of the modal broadening…
We discuss statistical and physical properties of cosmic microwave background polarization, both in Fourier and in real space. The latter allows for a more intuitive understanding of some of the geometric signatures. We present expressions…
The Stokes-parameter operators and the associated Poincare sphere, which describe the quantum-optical polarization properties of light, are defined and their basic properties are reviewed. The general features of the Stokes operators are…
We consider the jacobian of a random transverse polarisation field, from the transverse plane to the Poincar\'e sphere, as a Skyrme density partially covering the sphere. Connected domains of the plane where the jacobian has the same sign…
The use of polarimetric techniques is nowadays widespread among solar and stellar astronomers. However, notwithstanding the recommandations that have often been made about the publication of polarimetric results in the astronomical…
X-ray polarimetry promises to deliver unique information about the geometry of the inner accretion flow of astrophysical black holes and the nature of matter and electromagnetism in and around neutron stars. In this paper, we discuss the…
The Stokes V parameter characterizes asymmetry of amplitudes between right- and left-handed waves, and non-vanishing value of the V parameter yields a circularly polarized signal. Cosmologically, V parameter may be a direct probe for parity…
Linearly polarized emission is described, in general, in terms of the Stokes parameters $Q$ and $U$, from which the polarization intensity and polarization angle can be determined. Although the polarization intensity and polarization angle…
Several on-going and future experiments use a Stokes polarimeter (i.e. a rotating wave plate followed by a steady polarizer and by an unpolarized detector) to measure the small polarized component of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The…
We propose an operational degree of polarization in terms of the variance of the projected Stokes vector minimized over all the directions of the Poincar\'e sphere. We examine the properties of this degree and show that some problems…
We advocate for a simple multipole expansion of the polarization density matrix. The resulting multipoles are used to construct bona fide quasiprobability distributions that appear as a sum of successive moments of the Stokes variables; the…
With the forthcoming release of high precision polarization measurements, such as from the Planck satellite, the metrology of polarization needs to improve. In particular, it is crucial to take into account full knowledge of the noise…
Four Stokes parameters (1852) define the polarisation state of light. Measured changes of the Stokes vector of light traversing an inhomogeneous sample are linked to the local anisotropies of absorption and refraction and are harnessed over…
An electromagnetic wave can be uniquely characterized by the four Stokes parameters: I, Q, U, and V. Typical observations in astronomy rely solely on total intensity measurements of the incoming radiation (Stokes I). However, a significant…
We report the first direct experimental characterization of continuous variable quantum Stokes parameters. We generate a continuous wave light beam with more than 3 dB of simultaneous squeezing in three of the four Stokes parameters. The…
We present configurations of polarimeters which measure the three linear Stokes parameters of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation with a nearly diagonal error matrix, independent of the global orientation of the polarimeters in the…
Researchers routinely characterize optical samples by computing the scattering cross-section. However, the experimental determination of this magnitude requires the measurement and integration of the components of the scattered field in all…