New approach in microwave plasma polarimetry: Angular variable technique

Equations for evolution of angular parameters of polarization ellipse in the inhomogeneous plasma are derived. These equations are presented into two forms: for angular variables (ψ, χ) “azimuth-ellipticity” and for variables (α, δ), corresponding to the amplitude ratio and phase difference between orthogonal components of polarization ellipse. Basic properties of angular variables technique (AVT) and its equivalence to the equations of the Stokes vector formalism (SVF), traditionally used in plasma polarimetry, are pointed out. Examples of analytical and numerical solutions are presented, illustrating properties of angular variables in conditions, when Faraday and Cotton-Mouton effects are comparable with each other.