Interpretation of measurements of the polarization percentage for plasma waves

The conditions of application of the pure-state concept to the analysis of a plasma wave in a magnetoplasma are studied. Estimations of the Samson percentage of polarization are discussed. The best results are obtained with the minimum prediction error (MPE) estimator. Simple physical interpretation is possible when the estimator is derived from the three magnetic-wave-field components only. There is an exception for electrostatic waves. Propagation modes and the region of the Clemmow-Mullaly-Allis diagram exist for which the percentage of polarization may be considered as a measure of the dispersion in k vectors