We introduce an extension of the van Cittert-Zernike theorem to spatially incoherent sources with partial polarization. We show through a simple example that fields generated by such sources can possess correlation matrices with interesting properties. In particular, we show that by suitable modulation of the polarization state across the incoherent source, the correlation between the orthogona...

We propose a novel protocol for quantum key distribution based on the quantum polarization properties of coherent states. The key elements are encoded either in the component amplitude difference or in the phase difference of Gaussian-modulated strong coherent fields. The quantum counterpart (Stokes operators) of the classical parameters which represent the preponderance of xlinear polarization...

Multiband polarization imaging is an emerging sensing method that enables simultaneous acquisition of multiband spectral and multiangle polarization information of an object of interest in the scene. Spectral signatures of the light reflected from a target reveal the characteristics of the material composing the target while polarized light provides useful information on the surface features su...

Polarization control of electromagnetic wave is very important in many fields. Here, we propose an active meta-mirror to dynamically manipulate electromagnetic polarization state at a broad band. This meta-mirror is composed of a double-layered metallic pattern backed by a metallic flat plate, and the active elements of PIN diodes are integrated into the meta-atom to control the reflection phas...

We study several effects that influence the strength of the proton cyclotron and atomic features in the thermal spectra of magnetic neutron stars. We show that it is possible for vacuum polarization to strongly suppress the spectral lines when the magnetic field B & 10 G. For weaker fields (B . 7× 10 G), the surface spectrum is unaffected by vacuum polarization; thus the proton cyclotron absorp...

A certain degree of linear polarization has been measured in several GRB afterglows. More surprisingly, circular polarization has been recently measured in GRB121024A. For synchrotron emission, the polarization level depends on: (i) the local magnetic field orientation (ii) the geometry of the emitting region with respect to the line of sight and (iii) the electron pitch-angle distribution. For...

We present circular polarization measurements of circumstellar H2O masers. The magnetic fields in circumstellar envelopes are generally examined by polarization observations of SiO and OH masers. SiO masers probe the high temperature and density regime close to the central star. OH masers are found at much lower densities and temperatures, generally much further out in the circumstellar envelop...

Context. The role of magnetic fields during the protostellar phase of high-mass star-formation is a debated topic. In particular, it is still unclear how magnetic fields influence the formation and dynamic of disks and outflows. Most current information on magnetic fields close to high-mass protostars comes from H2O and OH maser observations. Recently, the first 6.7 GHz methanol maser polarizat...

Abstract. From the analysis of measurements of the linear polarisation of visible light coming from quasars, the existence of large-scale coherent orientations of quasar polarisation vectors in some regions of the sky has been reported. Here, we show that this can be explained by the mixing of the incoming photons with nearly massless pseudoscalar (axion-like) particles in extragalactic magneti...

We present the results of wide-field JHKS polarimetry toward the H II region S106 using the IRSF (Infrared Survey Facility) telescope. Our polarimetry data revealed an extended (up to ∼ 5) polarized nebula over S106. We confirmed the position of the illuminating source of most of the nebula as consistent with S106 IRS 4 through an analysis of polarization vectors. The bright portion of the pola...