Stokes parameters

Summary

The Stokes parameters are four real numbers $S_0, S_1, S_2, S_3$ that describe the intensity and the polarization of a beam of light. They are quadratic in the field and can be measured with a detector, a polarizer and a wave plate. Unlike a Jones vector, they also describe partially polarized and unpolarized light. They are the input of Mueller calculus and the coordinates of the Poincaré sphere.