Multiple scattering of polarized light in turbid infinite planes: Monte Carlo simulations

Monte Carlo simulations were performed for infinite plane media containing spherical particles of different sizes. Most of the features of the surface plots for the elements of the effective scattering Mueller matrices are explained by the azimuthal dependence of the matrix predicted according to the theory of Rakovic et al. [Appl. Opt. 38, 3399 (1999)]. The reduced effective scattering Mueller matrices calculated according to the theory have eight nonzero elements, which are only dependent on the distance from the illumination point. The reduced matrices are factorized approximately into products of a depolarizer and retarding diattenuators. The turbid infinite plane media nearly behave as a pure depolarizer at long distances and become more diattenuating and birefringent with decreasing distance. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America