Minkowskian description of polarized light and polarizers

A conventional Stokes description of polarized light is considered in a four-dimensional Lorentzian space, developing a seminal idea of Paul Soleillet [Ann. Phys. (Paris) 12, 23 (1929)]. This provides a striking interpretation for the degree of polarization and the Stokes decomposition of light beams. Malus law and reciprocity theorems for polarizers are studied using this Lorentzian formalism.