Vector transmission matrix for the polarization behavior of light propagation in highly scattering media

Recently the optical transmission matrix (TM) has been shown to be useful in controlling the propagation of light in highly scattering media. In this paper, we present the vector transmission matrix (VTM) which, unlike the TM, captures both the intensity and polarization transmission property of the scattering medium. We present an experimental technique for measuring the absolute values of the VTM elements which is in contrast to existing techniques whereby the TM elements are measured to within a scaling factor. The usefulness of the VTM is illustrated by showing that it can be used to both predict and control the magnitude of the complex polarization ratio of the light focused through the scattering medium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show the possibility of controlling the polarization of the light transmitted through highly scattering media. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America