ABSTRACT
Serial decompositions consist of representing a general Mueller matrix (M) as a product of particular Mueller matrices. The physical meaning of serial decompositions is that the whole system is considered a cascade of polarization components, so that the incoming electromagnetic beam interacts sequentially with them. In spite of the possible difficulties in determining, in practice, if a measured M can be considered singular or not because of the limited precision of the experimental data, singular Mueller matrices play an important role in Mueller algebra and thus deserve a stand-alone study. A powerful tool for the analysis of experimental Mueller matrices is their representation through serial combinations of simple components, such as retarders, diattenuators, and canonical depolarizers, in such a manner that the sample is characterized polarimetrically by means of the properties of the individual components.
