Generalized radiometry model for the propagation of light within anisotropic and chiral media.

An exact radiometric model is proposed for the nonparaxial propagation of fully or partially coherent electromagnetic radiation within anisotropic and/or chiral media in terms of rectilinear ray propagation. The definition of the generalized radiance is motivated by a geometric interpretation, based on the plane-wave decomposition of the field in the medium. The new representations are illustrated through two examples, corresponding to the propagation of two-dimensional fields within birefringent and chiral media.