On the concept of optimal polarizations in problems of radiowave propagation

E.M. Kennaugh´s optimal polarization concept (1954) for the monostatic reciprocal case is applied to the coherent case, emphasizing the transformation of the scattering matrix from one polarization basis to another, with the unitary transformation matrix formalism in terms of the polarization ratio. Six optimal polarization states are determined and plotted on the Poincare sphere in the form of a polarization fork with one handle and five prongs. For effective representation of the polarization states, the three-dimensional co/cross-power and phase plots are introduced. A general target case is considered, demonstrating the applicability of this concept to radar target classification, imaging, and identification.<>