ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the polarization situation mathematically and explains how birefringence distribution is measured. The possibility of expressing the polarization states mathematically was characteristic to the Jones vector and the Stokes parameter. However, the polarization states, hard enough to perceive, are even more difficult to understand when expressed in matrices. The requirement of birefringence measurement includes stress mapping to measure the state of polarization following the sample, to measure the state of the polarization of incident beam to the sample, or to determine the state of polarization in advance. In addition, it measures the alignment of direction of the sample to incident light or measures both retardation and azimuthal direction. Birefringence measurement has a long history that originated from photoelasticity. Most of the applications are used for information such as manufacture, optical communication, biotechnology, nanotechnology, astronomy, and remote sensing, but some reports for energy application become increasingly unique applications of polarization.
