Optimal bandwidth and systematic error of full-Stokes micropolarizer arrays

Abstract

In this paper, we present the first in-depth analysis of the bandwidth tradeoffs, error performance, and noise resiliency of full-Stokes micropolarizer array (MPA) designs. By applying our Fourier domain tools that provide a systematic way for arranging information carriers and allocating bandwidth, we develop a number of new full-Stokes MPA layouts and compare them to the existing full-Stokes MPAs in the literature, all of which use 2 × 2 pixel unit cells to build the MPA. We compare the reconstruction accuracy afforded by these traditional designs with the generalized 2 × L family of MPAs, a 3 × 3 tiling, as well as a 2 × 2 × 3 layout that uses multiple snapshots and trades off temporal resolution for spatial resolution. Of those systems, the hybrid spatiotemporally modulated 2 × 2 × 3 MPA provisions the most bandwidth and provides the highest reconstruction accuracy, while the modified 2 × L family remains the best performing single-snapshot MPA. Additionally, we study the degradation of reconstruction accuracy under the presence of systematic error in MPA fabrication. We find that reducing the amount of correlated error is by far the largest factor in ensuring robust performance.