Abstract: A system for determining polarization profiles of points in a scene from video frames using Stokes parameters includes a scene having a region that emits scene light rays that correspond to the points in the scene, an optical chopper controller, a rotating Stokes filter wheel that includes five trigger holes, three rotating linear polarizers, a circular polarizer, and a reference screen, a color filter, a video camera having a video frame, and a computer system having a frame grabber apparatus. The scene light rays are transmitted through the Stokes filter and the color filter to the video camera.

Abstract: A method of determining polarization profiles of points in a scene from video frames using Stokes parameters. The method includes emitting scene light rays from points in a region in a scene, and emitting a correlator light ray from a correlator. The correlator includes a uniform light source, a second linear polarizer, and a fixed retarder. The method further includes substantially simultaneously transmitting the scene light rays and the correlator light ray through a color filter and a Stokes filter that includes a rotating retarder having angular positions ?, and a first linear polarizer having a transmission axis to a video camera having a video frame, projecting onto respective pixels in the video frame and recording as two-dimensional (2-D) arrays images corresponding to the scene light rays and the correlator light ray, and downloading the images into the computer system and storing the images into a memory in the computer system.

Abstract: A method for determining and displaying polarization profiles of points in a scene from a single imaging detector array, which utilizes a filter system comprised of a retarder, four linear polarizers, four lenses, a color filter, camera lens and CCD video camera. Light from points in a scene are transmitted through the system and exits with attenuated intensities unique for each wavelength of the light. A narrowband color filter selects the wavelength of interest. The four lenses in the system produce four images of the scene, which are recorded as a single CCD-image. The attenuated intensities in each of the four scene-images are used to calculate the Stokes parameters for selected points in the scene for the selected wavelength. A computer program separates the four scene-images in the CCD-image, crops, registers them and calculates the Stokes parameters for each point in the cropped scene.

Abstract: A method for determining and displaying polarization profiles of points in a scene from a single imaging detector array, which utilizes a filter system comprised of a retarder, four linear polarizers, four lenses, a color filter, camera lens and CCD video camera. Light from points in a scene are transmitted through the system and exits with attenuated intensities unique for each wavelength of the light. A narrowband color filter selects the wavelength of interest. The four lenses in the system produce four images of the scene, which are recorded as a single CCD-image. The attenuated intensities in each of the four scene-images are used to calculate the Stokes parameters for selected points in the scene for the selected wavelength. A unique pseudo-color scheme that utilizes the Poincarè sphere is used for encoding and displaying polarization parameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining and displaying polarization profiles of points in a scene from a single imaging detector array, which utilizes a filter system comprised of a retarder, four linear polarizers, four lenses, a color filter, camera lens and CCD video camera. Light from points in a scene are transmitted through the system and exits with attenuated intensities unique for each wavelength of the light. A narrowband color filter selects the wavelength of interest. The four lenses in the system produce four images of the scene, which are recorded as a single CCD-image. The attenuated intensities in each of the four scene-images are used to calculate the Stokes parameters for selected points in the scene for the selected wavelength. The inherent problem of the retarder introducing a different phase differential for each individual wavelength transmitted through the optical element is solved by expressing the Stokes parameters explicitly as a function of wavelength.