Polarization experiments in holographic interferometry

Experiments of real time holographic interferometry were performed with circular and linear polarized laser radiation. An object with a metallic and dielectric part of the surface was studied. It was found that holographic interferometry on the metallic surface can easily be understood with different combinations of the polarization of the different waves. However, unexpected results were found for experiments with the dielectric. The experiments can be explained assuming that the object wave of a diffuse scattering dielectric is different for illumination with right and left circular polarized radiation. Thus, the interference structure of a hologram originating from these waves is also different, in spite of the fact that the image of the object seems to be the same. A theoretical analysis can be performed extending the well-known Jones matrices for radiation depolarized by dielectrics. Theoretical and practical consequences are discussed that refer to the polarization structure of light and to holographic interferometry.