Active polarimetric imager with near infrared laser illumination for adaptive contrast optimization

We designed and built an active polarimetric imager with laser illumination at 1.5 μm wavelength for adaptive polarimetric contrast optimization. It can generate and analyze any polarization state on the Poincaré sphere in order to best adapt to the polarimetric properties of the scene. Polarimetric contrast optimization is performed by analyzing the scene with an ultrafast active-contour-based segmentation algorithm. This device is, to the best of our knowledge, the first fully adaptive imager controlled by image processing algorithms for polarimetric contrast enhancement. Its capabilities are illustrated in some examples of real-world decamouflage applications.