Estimation of errors in partial Mueller matrix polarimeter calibration

Abstract

While active polarimeters have been shown to be successful at improving discriminability of the targets of interest from their background in a wide range of applications, their use can be problematic for cases with strong bandwidth constraints. In order to limit the number of performed measurements, a number of successive studies have developed the concept of partial Mueller matrix polarimeters (pMMPs) into a competitive solution. Like all systems, pMMPs need to be calibrated in order to yield accurate results. In this treatment we provide a method by which to select a limited number of reference objects to calibrate a given pMMP design. To demonstrate the efficacy of the approach, we apply the method to a sample system and show that, depending on the kind of errors present within the system, a significantly reduced number of reference objects measurements will suffice for accurate characterization of the errors. Show more