The depolarization of light scattered from rough metal surfaces

To describe the depolarization of the electromagnetic field scattered from rough metal surfaces, a finite, non-vanishing value of the conductivity has to be considered. To reveal the modifications imposed by a complex dielectric constant, the Beckmann formula is expanded in power series of slope terms. We then arrive at an analytic expression which is convenient for evaluation as a function of the parameters involved. With this expression, plots of the cross-polarization ratio vs. angle of incidence and vs. slope are presented.