Physical bounds to the entropy-depolarization relation in random light scattering.
We present a theoretical study of multimode scattering of light by optically random media, using the Mueller-Stokes formalism which permits us to encode all the polarization properties of the scattering medium in a real 4 x 4 matrix. From this matrix two relevant parameters can be extracted: the depolarizing power D(M) and the polarization entropy E(M) of the scattering medium. By studying the relation between E(M) and D(M), we find that all scattering media must satisfy some universal constraints. These constraints apply to both classical and quantum scattering processes. The results obtained here may be especially relevant for quantum communication applications, where depolarization is synonymous with decoherence.
Aiello
A
A
Huygens Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Woerdman
J P
JP