STOKES VECTOR AND SCATTERING MATRIX

The flux and state of linear and circular polarization of a quasi-monochromatic beam of light can be described by means of the so-called flux vector whose elements are Stokes parameters (Van de Hulst 1957; Hovenier et al. 2004). If such a beam of light is scattered by an ensemble of particles separated by distances much larger than their linear dimensions and in the absence of multiple scattering, the flux vectors of the incident beam F0 and scattered beam Fdet are, for each scattering direction, related by the so called scattering matrix (Van de Hulst 1957; Hovenier et al. 2004). Click here for the definition of the scattering matrix.

References:

• Van de Hulst, H.C., 1957. Light scattering by small particles, John Wiley, New York.
• Hovenier, J.W., van der Mee, C.V.M., Domke, H., 2004. Transfer of polarized light in planetary atmospheres: basic concepts and practical methods. Kluwer. Springer. Dordrecht. Berlin.