Abstract
Several recent studies have investigated the optimization of Stokes vector polarimeters with respect to signal to noise ratio (SNR). While SNR is an important consideration, performance of a polarimeter in the presence of errors in the calibration and alignment of the optical components is also important. Here, the relationship between system condition and error performance is investigated, and it is shown that an optimum system from the point of view of SNR is not always an optimum system with respect to error performance. A detailed theory of error performance is presented, and the relationship between system condition and systematic errors is described. For systems that overdetermine the Stokes vector to improve error performance, the RMS error of a SV polarimeter is shown to fall off as the inverse of the number of measurements taken.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 22-30 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Volume | 4481 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | Polarization Analisys, Measurement, and Remote Sensing IV - San Diego, CA, United States Duration: Jul 29 2001 → Jul 31 2001 |
Keywords
- Polarization
- Polarization imaging
- Stokes vector polarimeters
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering