Reduced form of a Mueller matrix

Through a simple procedure based on the Lu-Chipman decomposition [S-Y. Lu and R. C. Chipman, J. Opt. Soc. Am A 13, 1106 (1996)] any depolarizing Mueller matrix can be transformed into a reduced form which accumulates the depolarization and polarizance properties into a set of six parameters. The simple structure of this reduced form provides straightforward ways for the general characterization of Mueller matrices as well as for the analysis of singular Mueller matrices.