Change of polarization degree of light beams on propagation in curved space

Abstract

Even in free space, which is commonly considered of as a flat space–time in most settings, the degree of polarization of a partially spatially coherent light beam changes as it travels. Similarly, the polarization degree would change when a partially spatially coherent light beam propagates in a curved space–time. The difference of the polarization degree between the curved space and flat space can reveal the essential structure of the curved space. In this work, we consider a simplest case of curved space known as Schwarzschild spacetime. We can simulate the Schwarzschild space–time as an optical material with an effective refractive index. The difference of the polarization degree of a light beam propagating in curved space and flat space can be achieved up to 5%, which is detectable in practical measurement. In addition, we have found that the partially spatially coherent light source is necessary for obtaining significant changes in polarization degree. Our results provide an alternative method to estimate the Schwarzschild radius of a massive object with the optical polarization degree measurement.