Polarization State Calculator
Convert between Jones vectors and Stokes parameters, compute polarization properties, and propagate states through optical elements.
Polarization state is fully described by a Jones vector (for fully coherent light) or a Stokes vector (for partially polarized or incoherent light). The two formalisms carry different information: Jones vectors track field amplitudes and phases; Stokes parameters track intensities and are directly measurable. This tool supports three workflows: converting a Jones vector defined by x- and y-amplitudes and relative phase δ into Stokes parameters and derived quantities (DOP, DOLP, DOCP, orientation angle ψ, and ellipticity χ); extracting the same properties directly from entered Stokes I, Q, U, V values including a physical validity check; and propagating a chosen input polarization state through a Jones matrix element — horizontal or vertical polarizer, quarter- or half-wave plate, or an arbitrary waveplate retardance — to display the output Jones vector, Stokes vector, and transmitted intensity.