Polarization visualization of scattering media with CW laser radiation

The method of polarization visualization of a multiply scattering medium containing macroinhomogeneities based on analysis of polarization spatial distribution of a scattered linearly polarized light is discussed. The treatment is based on statistical properties of the effective optical path distribution of scattered field components. The influence of media scattering properties and the geometry of the experiment on the inhomogeneity image contrast obtained with use of polarization degree and of normalized scattered intensity of radiation as visualization parameters are discussed, as well as spatial resolution achieved in these both cases. Using the results of theoretical analysis and of the experimental model, the relationship between the shapes of spatial distributions of polarization degree and the intensity of the scattered light is considered as a function of the position of the visualized object (an absorbing half-plane immersed in a plane layer of the scattering medium). The opportunities for enhancing the quality of the images formed in this way are also discussed.