Self-calibration for Mueller polarimeters based on DoFP polarization imagers.

ABSTRACT

Mueller polarimeters (MPs) based on division of focal plane (DoFP) polarization imagers can achieve fast measurements and significantly improve the effectiveness of Mueller polarimetry. In this Letter, we demonstrate a unique property of the DoFP sensor-based MPs they can be calibrated without any extra polarizing reference element. We describe a self-calibration method that only requires six image acquisitions; based on our analysis, the calibration accuracy is only limited by the noise.