Broadband snapshot complete imaging polarimeter based on dual Sagnac-grating interferometers

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Polarimetry
• Image Science

Background:

• Traditional polarimetric imaging often requires multiple measurements or employs complex, moving components.
• Existing systems may lack efficiency or the ability to capture broadband spectral information in a single snapshot.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel broadband snapshot complete imaging polarimeter (BSCIP).
• To demonstrate a device capable of acquiring full polarization images in a single frame.
• To highlight advantages over previous polarimetric imaging techniques.

Main Methods:

• The device utilizes two cascaded Sagnac-grating interferometers.
• Mueller calculus is employed to explain the operational principle.
• Optical efficiency and interference visibility are theoretically calculated.

Main Results:

• The BSCIP operates without moving parts or electrically controllable polarization elements.
• Broadband, full polarization images are acquired in a single frame.
• The system demonstrates high optical efficiency and interference visibility.

Conclusions:

• The presented BSCIP offers a significant advancement in polarimetric imaging technology.
• The device's validity is confirmed through Stokes parameter measurements and polarimetric imaging experiments.
• This technology enables efficient, single-frame acquisition of broadband polarization information.