If the 4 Stokes parameters are assembled into a so-called Stokes vector (or Stokes
column matrix), then the interaction of polarized light with an optical element or
sample is sometimes described by the action of a so-called Mueller matrix:
S 0
0
S 1
0
S 2
0
S 3
0
0
B
B
B
@
1
C
C
C
A
¼
m 00 m 01 m 02 m 03
m 10 m 11 m 12 m 13
m 20 m 21 m 22 m 23
m 30 m 31 m 32 m 33
0
B
B
B
@
1
C
C
C
A
S 0
S 1
S 2
S 3
0
B
B
B
@
1
C
C
C
A
ðE:40Þ
But this is taking us too far afield. For more details about polarized light, Stokes
parameters, Mueller matrices, and even Jones vectors and matrices, see:
[1.] Optics, 5th Edition, Eugene Hecht, 2017, Pearson, ISBN 978-0-13-397722-6.
[2.] Polarized Light in Optics and Spectroscopy, Kliger, Lewis, and Randall, 1990,
Academic Press, ISBN 0-12-414975-8.
[3.] Polarized Light, 3rd Edition, Dennis Goldstein, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2011,
ISBN-13: 978–1439830406 – apparently plagiarized from:
[4.] Polarized Light: Fundamentals and Applications, Edward Collett, 1993, Marcel
Dekker, ISBN 0824787293.
Fig. E.3 The polarization
ellipse
328
Appendix E: X-ray Optics: Fresnel Equations and Stokes Parameters