Far field of beams generated by quasi-homogeneous sources passing through polarization gratings

We analyze the polarization features of the beam, generated by a class of partially polarized quasi-homogeneous sources, which propagates through a polarization grating. Analytical expressions in the far zone for the beam coherence polarization matrix, the degree of polarization and the Stokes parameters are given. In particular, it is shown that, under some hypotheses, it is possible to completely and uniformly depolarize the beam in the far field. The influence of source parameters, such as the state of polarization, intensity and degree of coherence, on the degree of polarization and the Stokes parameters is also investigated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.