Four-quadrant retarder array imaging spectropolarimeter for the full Stokes vector spectrum.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Remote Sensing
• Polarimetry

Background:

• Significant demand exists for polarization information in Earth observation and space exploration.
• Existing spectropolarimeters suffer from spectral resolution degradation and spectral aliasing crosstalk.
• A novel approach is needed to acquire complete optical information accurately.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a four-quadrant retarder array imaging spectropolarimeter (FQRAISP).
• To overcome limitations of existing spectropolarimeters, specifically spectral aliasing and resolution degradation.
• To enable accurate acquisition of incident Stokes vector spectra for advanced applications.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual description of the FQRAISP optical schematic and interference model.
• Experimental simulation to validate the effectiveness, efficiency, and accuracy of the FQRAISP.
• Numerical simulations to assess the impact of alignment and thickness deviations of the retarder component.

Main Results:

• The FQRAISP successfully restores incident Stokes vector spectra without errors.
• Inversion accuracy is improved by seven times compared to existing methods.
• Thickness deviations significantly impact reconstructed Stokes parameters, while alignment deviations have a weaker effect.

Conclusions:

• The FQRAISP offers a competitive and accurate solution for spectropolarimetric measurements.
• Optimal engineering implementation requires controlling alignment deviations within [-0.43°, +0.43°] and [-0.22°, +0.22°], and thickness deviations within [−0.03µm, +0.03µm].
• This technology has broad applications in remote sensing, deep space exploration, and biomedicine.