Partially coherent light propagation in stratified media containing an optically thick anisotropic layer

Methods used to compute the reflection or transmission Mueller matrix of stratified media assume light is a monochromatic plane wave, but measurements with spectroscopic devices invariably involve a finite distribution of wavelengths and incidence angles. Consequently, there can be stark disagreement between calculation and experiment, especially when the specimen includes a thick non-opaque layer. To accurately model specimens with a thick layer, it is sometimes necessary to explicitly include the coherence of the light in models. For anisotropic and/or optically active media, we distinguish between five regimes of coherence. Algebraic expressions valid for all regimes are given. Experimental data spanning multiple regimes is modeled.