本文件规定了一种方法，这是一种相对快速、简单、设备最少的方法，用于确定连续波（cw）激光器光束的偏振状态，以及尽可能确定其偏振度。如果电场矢量方向在不同脉冲之间没有变化，则它也可以应用于重复脉冲激光器。 本文件还规定了在（完全或部分）线偏振激光束的情况下确定电场矢量振荡方向的方法。 假设激光辐射是准单色的，并且对于测量而言足够稳定。本文件适用于在其横截面积上具有均匀极化的辐射。 对于具有高发散角的激光器的某些应用，偏振状态的知识可能非常重要，例如，当此类激光器的光束应与偏振相关设备（例如，偏振保持光纤）耦合时。 本文件不仅适用于窄且几乎准直的激光束，也适用于高度发散的光束以及大孔径的光束。

This document specifies a method, which is a relatively quick and simple method with minimum equipment, for determining the polarization status and, whenever possible, the degree of polarization of the beam from a continuous wave (cw) laser. It can also be applied to repetitively pulsed lasers, if their electric field vector orientation does not change from pulse to pulse. This document also specifies the method for determining the direction of the electric-field vector oscillation in the case of (completely or partially) linearly polarized laser beams. It is assumed that the laser radiation is quasimonochromatic and sufficiently stable for the purpose of the measurement. This document is applicable to radiation that has uniform polarization over its cross-sectional area. The knowledge of the polarization status can be very important for some applications of lasers with a high divergence angle, for instance when the beam of such a laser shall be coupled with polarization dependent devices (e.g. polarization maintaining fibres). This document is applicable not only for a narrow and almost collimated laser beam but also for highly divergent beams as well as for beams with large apertures.