Polarization of an electromagnetic wave in a randomly birefringent medium: A stochastic theory of the Stokes parameters

We present a framework for the stochastic features of the polarization state of an electromagnetic wave propagating through the optical medium with both deterministic (controlled) and disordered birefringence. In this case, the Stokes parameters obey a Langevin-type equation on the Poincaré sphere. The functional integral method provides for a natural tool to derive the Fokker-Planck equation for the probability distribution of the Stokes parameters. We solve the Fokker-Planck equation in the case of a random anisotropic active medium submitted to a homogeneous electromagnetic field. The possible dissipation and relaxation phenomena are studied in general and in various cases, and we give hints about how to validate experimentally the corresponding phenomenological equations.