General-purpose computer-controlled polarization state transformer for modern automatic Mueller-polarimeter

Recently considerable attention is still attracted to creation and development of various schemes of Mueller-polarimeters. However, there are some disadvantages in existing models. In present paper the general-purpose electronically controlled transformer of polarization using electrooptical effect is suggested to utilize it as a main part of modern Mueller-polarimeter. Application of this transformer is shown to give some significant advantages, such as: any polarization state of probing radiation can be realized (generally, the whole Poincare sphere); high speed of measurements (up to 5-10 microsec. per single measurement); possibility of full automatization of Mueller-polarimeter and measurement process; multi-frequency (spectral) measurements (frequency range is limited with other parts of Mueller-polarimeter, in particular, on photodetector); functional elasticity (the possibility of work in main polarimetry measurement regimes: four-polarization method, dual rotating-compensator method; measurement of studied object response to any polarization state of probing radiation; Jones matrix measurement etc.)