Abstract

We generalize scattering theory to stochastic electromagnetic light waves. It is shown that when a stochastic electromagnetic light wave is scattered from a medium, the properties of the scattered field can be characterized by a $3\times 3$ cross-spectral density matrix. An example of scattering of a spatially coherent electromagnetic light wave from a deterministic medium is discussed. Some interesting phenomena emerge, including the changes of the spectral degree of coherence and of the spectral degree of polarization of the scattered field.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

Polarization-induced coherence changes of an electromagnetic light wave on scattering

Tao Wang and Daomu Zhao
Opt. Lett. 35(18) 3108-3110 (2010)

Scattering-induced changes in the degree of polarization of a stochastic electromagnetic plane-wave pulse

Chaoliang Ding, Yangjian Cai, Yongtao Zhang, and Liuzhan Pan
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 29(6) 1078-1090 (2012)

Polarization modulation for a stochastic electromagnetic beam passing through a chiral medium

Fei Zhuang, Xinyue Du, and Daomu Zhao
Opt. Lett. 36(14) 2683-2685 (2011)

Condition for the invariance of the spectral degree of coherence of a completely coherent light wave on weak scattering

Tao Wang and Daomu Zhao
Opt. Lett. 35(6) 847-849 (2010)

Condition for far-zone spectral isotropy of an electromagnetic light wave on weak scattering

Tao Wang and Daomu Zhao
Opt. Lett. 36(3) 328-330 (2011)