Analytical solution of the radiative transfer equation for polarized light
Abstract
A new formalism is introduced for the transfer of polarized radiation. Stokes parameters are shown to be four-vectors in a Minkowski-like space and, most strikingly, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) turns out to be an infinitesimal transformation under the Poincare (plus dilatations) group. A solution to the transfer equation as a finite element of this group is proposed.
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