Mueller matrices relate the Stokes parameters of the incident and emerging light, providing useful information about the radiative properties and other characteristics of the medium. Determining all elements of the 4 × 4 Mueller matrix requires complete polarimetry, which is often challenging to perform. Partial polarimetry, on the other hand, uses simpler optical components in generating and/or analyzing states of polarization, thereby measuring only a subset of the Mueller matrix. However, it may determine the full Mueller matrix under specific symmetry conditions. The present study develops a symmetry classification scheme to categorize the Mueller matrix of materials. It is shown that the symmetry of the Mueller matrix is directly determined from the information of symmetries of the sample's optical properties. Numerical calculations of various measurement scenarios, structures, and materials (with or without Lorentz reciprocity) are carried out to validate the methodology. This study offers an insightful understanding of Mueller matrix symmetry and practical guidance for simplified ellipsometry measurements.

中文翻译：

---

互易和非互易超材料的 Mueller 矩阵对称性


Mueller 矩阵将入射光和出射光的斯托克斯参数相关联，提供有关介质的辐射特性和其他特性的有用信息。测定 4 × 4 Mueller 矩阵的所有元素需要完整的旋光法，这通常具有挑战性。另一方面，偏振法使用更简单的光学元件来生成和/或分析偏振状态，因此仅测量穆勒矩阵的一个子集。但是，它可以确定特定对称条件下的完整 Mueller 矩阵。本研究开发了一种对称分类方案来对材料的 Mueller 矩阵进行分类。结果表明，Mueller 矩阵的对称性是由样品光学性质的对称性信息直接确定的。对各种测量场景、结构和材料（有或没有洛伦兹互易性）进行数值计算以验证该方法。本研究提供了对 Mueller 矩阵对称性的深刻理解，并为简化椭圆偏振测量提供了实用指导。