Non-uniformly totally polarized beams with invariant polarization pattern in media with natural optical activity

Non-uniformly and totally polarized (NUTP) beams have been proved to be useful in polarimetry, because they make faster and more accurate the determination of the Mueller matrix of sample. To simplify the measurement apparatus, it is also desirable that the transverse polarization pattern of such beams remain unchanged during propagation in the free space through an optical system. Beams with such behavior can be obtained, for example, by superposition of suitable higher-order Gaussian modes. In this work, we present some results about the use of NUTP beams with propagation invariant polarization pattern in the determination of the optical parameters of a chiral medium, which exhibit circular birefringence and circular dichroism. In particular, the use of full-Poincaré beams, i.e., beams that present all polarization states across their transverse section, will be studied in more detail.