Analysis of visualization through depolarization via light scattering related to surface structure in visible and infrared light

Abstract Among the various factors of polarization changes due to surface and internal structures of objects, the phenomenon of depolarization through light scattering is one of the most commonly occurring factors in visualization through polarization imaging. In the present study, depolarization due to surface light scattering over a broad wavelength range from the visible to IR regions was experimentally and theoretically elucidated. Using the polarization-probe-polarization-imaging system, we achieved successful visualization of depolarization based on surface structure differences at the nano-level while observing the instrument dial. The results of electromagnetic field analysis using the finite-difference time-domain method, incorporating surface structures observed through microscopic observation, revealed that Rayleigh scattering on the nano-scale uneven surface extends beyond depolarization.