Accurate measurement, decomposition, and depolarization calculation for Mueller Matrices of mixed samples

Abstract

Recently, Mueller matrix polarimetry has been widely used in a number of aspects, such as biomedicine, remote sensing, target decomposition, etc. However, it is still challenging for the measurement, decomposition, and depolarization resulting from complex light-matter interactions of mixed samples. In this work, the Mueller matrix measurement and decomposition methods are proposed for the mixed sample with rough surfaces. First, the linear combination of the two different Mueller matrices resulting in depolarization is proved. Second, the optimal method is used to decompose and correct the Mueller matrices of the sample. Finally, the accurate depolarization of the mixed sample is obtained by using the eigenvalue method. The experiment results validate that the method has great potential in the accurate measurement, noise reduction, and decomposition of Mueller matrices of mixed samples with rough surfaces.