Abstract

It is known that nonpolarized quasi-monochromatic light is characterized by a definite polarization microstructure, and there are a number of both classical¹ and quantum models of such a light.² After passing nonpolarized light through the phase plates and optically active devices, as a general case its polarization microstructure changes. However, direct polarization analysis doesn't allow us to find this changing. Vavilov¹ was the first to demonstrate the possibility to determine the microstructure of the light changed in such a way in the interference-ellipsometric experiments. The information carried by nonpolarized light about its polarization microstructure can be fixed and recovered by the polarization-holographic method.³ In this paper we communicate a new possibility of studying nonpolarized light in classical states, which we call "hedgehog" and "tangle." Computer images of such states are depicted in Fig. 1(a) and (b) under 150 and 20 realizations of random azimuth and elliptic state, respectively.

© 1994 IEEE