Degree of polarization in light transmission through a near-field probe

We analyse the changes in the partial polarization of random, stationary light fields in transmission through a near-field probe. The probe is modelled as a two-dimensional metal-coated optical fibre tip through which the field is propagated by applying the boundary-integral method. Both the magnitude of the opening angle and the aperture size of the probe are found to significantly influence the partial polarization of the field. We discuss the results in terms of both the conventional two-dimensional and the recent three-dimensional formalism for the degree of polarization.