Elementary polarization properties in the backscattering configuration

In the normal incidence backscattering configuration, a polarimetric measurement always preserves the reciprocal symmetry. For a reciprocal Jones matrix, the number of elementary polarization properties is reduced from six to four. In this work, the physical interpretation of these properties is examined and they are compared with the equivalent polarization properties in transmission. It is found that, with the exception of natural optical activity, a polarimetric backreflection experiment can essentially provide the same type of information about the anisotropy of a medium as a transmission analysis, although transmission and backreflection information comes in a completely different form. Experimental examples are provided to illustrate the discussion.