Tomography of Polarization Qutrits in the Standard Basis

We propose a new tomography protocol for reconstruction of the polarization qutrit state that does not require the conversion to a ququart. We show that a set of unitary two-mode polarization transformations is sufficient to perform a full set of measurements. In the experimental realization of the protocol, this transformation is implemented through a quarter-wave plate oriented at different angles. It is shown that this protocol allows one to reconstruct both pure and mixed states.