Emission polarization of roughened glass and aluminum surfaces

Ellipsometer measurements of the effective complex refractive index at a wavelength of 10.6 mu m are made on a series of glass and aluminum surfaces of increasing surface roughness. The measured values are then used to calculate the degree of emission polarization and are shown to be in agreement with the experimentally determined values when depolarization is small. Comparisons are also made with calculations based on the Kirchhoff scattering theory. Both the theory and the experimental results indicate that it is the local surface slope and not the roughness magnitude that is the prime factor in determining the degree of emission polarization from the samples studied. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America