Pseudo time reversal operators for the state of polarization

Abstract The existence of three generalized mirrors (Martinelli and Martelli, 2017) that compensate for the effects of birefringence in retracing optical circuits allows to develop a parallel with the time reversal properties. The Wigner time reversal operator for the photon spin is considered and three pseudo time reversal operators borrowed from this original operator are introduced and analysed. Their application to different birefringence situations demonstrates the validity and the fertility of the approach.