Special unitary groups in polarimetry theory

In this paper we consider application of the general theory of unitary matrices to the problem of wave propagation and scattering involving polarized waves. Having outlined useful parameterizations of these low dimensional matrix groups, we then develop a general processing strategy which we suggest is useful for the extraction of physical information from a range of scattering and propagation matrices in optics and radar. Examples are presented of application of the unitary matrix structure to the problems of absolute phase definition and random wave scattering.