Matrix description of coherent and incoherent light reflection and transmission by anisotropic multilayer structures.

We propose a matrix method for the description of light reflection and transmission by an anisotropic multilayer system consisting of thin and thick layers. A method based on partial-wave matrix summations is applicable in the field of reflection and transmission photometry and ellipsometry. In the case of a thin anisotropic film, the interference effects were described by use of a coherent summation of Jones matrices. Incoherent intensity summations for a thick weakly anisotropic layer were characterized by use of the coherency vector formalism. Observable quantities or Mueller matrix components were obtained from the matrix describing transformation of the coherence vectors.