Depolarization by aerosols: Entropy of the Amsterdam light scattering database

In this paper we apply an entropy analysis to measured scattering matrices from the Amsterdam light scattering database. We select examples of mineral aerosols from the database and use them to demonstrate differences in polarization behavior between the particle clouds using a new coherency matrix formulation. These differences are further investigated by analyzing the polarized component of the matrices via two new eigenvector parameters, which can be mapped conveniently onto the surface of a sphere, analogous to the Poincaré sphere used for wave states. We conclude by considering the potential for discriminating different aerosols on the basis of their entropy/eigenvector signatures by solving the contrast optimization problem for clouds with different scattering matrices by using a novel generalized coherency eigenvalue formulation.