Entangled states of light in classical polarization theory

TL;DR

This paper applies entanglement analysis to classical light polarization, proposing a new measure of polarization that aligns with quantum information concepts and extends to complex beam configurations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel classical polarization measure based on entanglement analysis, bridging quantum information theory and classical optics.

Findings

New polarization measure consistent with quantum entanglement

Extension of polarization concept to cases without a specific beam direction

Connection between classical polarization and quantum information conservation

Abstract

We formulate the classical polarization theory for light by using entanglement analysis. We demonstrate a route to a systematic and consistent measure of ordinary light polarization that extends automatically to a new understanding of the degree of polarization at a point, when a distinct beam direction is absent. We have drawn on recent work [Qian and Eberly, arXiv 1009.5622] dealing with the conservation of quantum information.