Error in determining Mueller matrix elements and its effect on solution of the inverse problem of polarimetry

We present an analysis of the errors in measurement of the Mueller matrix elements in polarimeters that are a combination of different types of Stokes polarimeters in the detection channel and controllable polarization converters in the probing channel. As polarization converters for the probing radiation, we consider a phase plate having four different angular positions in measuring the complete Mueller matrix and a linear polarizer having different angular positions in measuring the structural parts of an incomplete 4 × 3 Mueller matrix. We have shown that the error in determining the Mueller matrix elements is distributed nonuniformly over the matrix. The nature of the error distribution over the elements and its values are different for different combinations of detection and probing channels of the polarimeter, and depend on the anisotropy of the test object. The latter dictates the choice of the optimal layout for a Mueller polarimeter for studying media with the same or different types of anisotropy and the choice of Mueller matrix elements used to solve the inverse problem of determining the anisotropy parameters.     

Spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimeter using four-channeled spectra

A Mueller matrix polarimeter acquired for four-channeled spectra is proposed. Both the polarizing and analyzing optics of this system consist of a linear polarizer and a high-order retarder. The polarizing elements can modulate the polarization states in the wavenumber space. By applying a Fourier transform method to a single-channeled spectrum, nine elements of the Mueller matrix can be deconvoluted without modifying the configuration of either the polarizing or analyzing optics. It is thus possible to determine the wavelength dependence of all the Mueller matrix elements from four-channeled spectra obtained using four different configurations for the polarizing and analyzing optics. The performance of this method is evaluated by measuring polarization properties, such as retardance, azimuthal angle, and linear diattenuation, from the obtained Mueller matrix in wavenumber space.     

基于双折射晶体的快拍穆勒矩阵成像测偏原理分析

针对传统穆勒矩阵成像测偏仪包含活动部件,需进行多次测量,容易产生测量误差,不能对运动目标或动态场景进行同时、实时测量等问题,提出了一种以改进型萨瓦偏光镜为核心分光器件的快拍Mueller矩阵成像测偏技术(MSP-SMMIP).它不含任何活动部件,能通过单次快拍测量获取目标强度图像和全部16个穆勒矩阵阵元图像.它主要由偏振态产生和偏振态分析两部分组成,偏振干涉条纹通过偏振态产生光路后定位于测试样品上,随后这些条纹通过空间载频将样品的Mueller矩阵分量编码,经偏振态分析光路成像于焦平面上.采用斯托克斯矢量-穆勒矩阵形式阐明了光场偏振态被MSP-SMMIP调制的过程,给出了其像面干涉图表达式,讨论了Mueller矩阵反演和系统定标的方法.基于CCD相机参数分析了系统的光学指标.通过数值模拟实验给出模拟测量结果,通过定性和定量评价测量结果表明该系统的可行性.MSP-SMMIP技术具有稳态、快拍、结构简洁、易定标、可同时实时获取目标强度图像和全部Mueller矩阵阵元图像的显著特点.     

Determination of the Polarization Characteristics of Objects by the Method of Three Probing Polarizations

A method of three probing polarizations for determining the polarization characteristics of objects by measuring their Mueller complete and incomplete matrices has been developed. The conditions of optimal implementation of the method from the viewpoint of minimizing the error in measurement of the Mueller matrix elements have been investigated.     

Polarimetric characterization of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) for bone substitute biomaterials

In this work the UHMWPE is characterized for their optical properties with Mueller matrix polarimeter. The transmittance birefringence, retardance, polarizance, linear and circular polarization and absorbance of polarized light at different wavelengths ranging 400-800 nm are measured. The presented Mueller matrix elements along with depth resolve polarization decrease in intensity with the change in the wavelength. Linear retardance increases compared to circular through highly scattering polyethylene. High refractive index and low mean free path; and close bonding of particles of material rotates the incoming photons and circular polarization which is dominant as compared to the linear one. Therefore the average intensity increases with both the optical depth and the scattered concentration in UHMWPE, which would accordingly decrease the apparent degree of polarization.The extracted results in terms of linear and circular retardances prove that UHMWPE is compatible, strong, and compact. This research work provides an optical characterization technique for bone substitute biomaterial in the health care industry.     

Polarization state and Mueller matrix measurements in terahertz-time domain spectroscopy

We derive the complete formulae governing the polarization state measurement in terahertz-time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) by using a rotatable THz polarizer. Four Stokes parameters can be uniquely obtained by spectrally-resolved measurement in THz-TDS. Further, we propose a new approach to measure the Mueller matrix of a pure birefringent material, using THz-TDS, by rotating the material under test. Based on the above techniques, we successfully measured the Mueller matrices of a quartz crystal in the frequency domain.     

Mueller matrix-based optimization of reflective type twisted nematic liquid crystal SLM at oblique incidences

Mueller matrix measurements were used to characterize the polarization properties of liquid crystal-based reflective type twisted nematic (TN) special light modulator (SLM) at oblique incidence of the laser beam. The experimentally obtained Mueller matrices were used to obtain the combination of polarization optics required to optimize it for phase only modulation. The results indicate that minimum intensity modulation is obtained with the use of a polarizer followed by a quarter wave plate (QWP) in polarization state generator (PSG) arm and a QWP followed by an analyzer in polarization state analyzer arm (PSA). Polarization parameters such as retardance, rotation and depolarization were calculated from the experimentally obtained Mueller matrices using polar decomposition method at different angle of incidences of the laser beam and the results has been discussed. The similarity between retardance and depolarization curve as a function of address voltage of TNSLM indicated that depolarization is mainly associated with errors in retardance values. Further, spectral Mueller matrix measurements were used to obtain intensity modulation response in the range of wavelengths 450-700 nm for broadband applications.     

时空混合调制型偏振干涉成像光谱仪的全视场偏振信息探测研究

基于Savart板的新型时空混合调制型偏振干涉成像光谱仪(TSMPIIS)是一种静态、小型化、高稳定性的遥感偏振探测器件, 可以用来实现对目标的光谱信息以及偏振信息的探测. 目前, 已经确立了通过旋转TSMPIIS偏振片法来实现测量的方案, 然而该方案破坏了TSMPIIS系统原有的稳定结构, 降低了仪器的测量精度和可靠性. 为克服旋转偏振片法的不足, 本文从TSMPIIS的探测原理出发, 通过分析和计算TSMPIIS的Mueller矩阵, 推导出了全视场角度的TSMPIIS旋转偏振探测法的基本公式, 论证了TSMPIIS全视场偏振信息探测的可行性和准确性, 为TSMPIIS的遥感探测以及Stokes参数的反演提供了理论依据, 进一步拓展了TSMPIIS遥感探测的优越性.     

Incomplete active polarimetry: Measurement of the block-diagonal scattering matrix

The problem of measurement of block-diagonal scattering matrix as being part of the so-called incomplete or partial Mueller polarimetry is addressed. It has been shown that non-zero elements of the scattering matrix with block-diagonal structure can be measured using only two elliptical polarizations of input light. Optimal pairs of these polarizations are derived. Utilization of the optimal input polarizations results in halving measurement time and decreasing measurement errors by 30%.     

Mueller Matrix Analysis of PDL Components

A detailed Mueller-Stokes analysis of an arbitrary elliptical dichroic polarizer is presented. Explicit expressions for the Jones matrix, the Stokes parameters, and the Mueller matrix for a distributed and localized dichroic polarizer acting as a polarization-dependent loss (PDL) element are derived. Application to wavelength-dependent PDL elements is discussed. The Poincare sphere representation and the application of the Mueller matrices for the study of randomly oriented concatenated PDL elements and PDL vector measurement are addressed.     

Optimized Mueller polarimeter with liquid crystals

We demonstrate a Mueller polarimeter in which the polarization-state generator and analyzer are both composed of a linear polarizer and two liquid-crystal variable retarders. The polarimeter is designed to optimize the accuracy of the final results by minimization of the condition numbers of the modulation and analysis matrices. The polarimeter calibration, a difficult task by conventional procedures, is achieved easily by use of the eigenvalue method of Compain et al. [Appl. Opt. 38, 3490 (1999)]. The overall polarimeter performance is tested with a linear polarizer at various angles and a compensator at various retardations.     

基于多层膜偏振元件的同步辐射光束线偏振特性测量研究

利用自行研制的同步辐射软X射线多层膜综合偏振测量装置, 对北京同步辐射装置(BSRF)的3W1B软X射线光束线的偏振特性进行了系统的研究. 给出了多层膜偏振元件起偏前后的测量结果, 测量能量为206eV时, 经反射镜、光栅等光束线光学元件后输出的线偏振度(起偏前)为0.585, 经多层膜偏振元件起偏后输出光的 线偏振度达到0.995.     

Hybrid complete Mueller polarimeter based on phase modulators

Optical properties of matter as diattenuation, retardance and depolarization can be evaluated using polarimetric techniques. In this paper, the analysis and implementation of a complete Mueller polarimeter is presented. The system is constituted of a polarization state generator (PSG) and a polarization state analyzer (PSA), which are controlled and synchronized through a computer program. The PSG comprises a dual liquid crystal variable retarder system while the PSA is based on a two-photoelastic modulator setup. Using air and common polarizing optics as test samples for calibration at 633 nm, the hybrid instrument met a good precision when the Mueller matrices of those optical elements were measured.     

Recovery of the Complete Mueller Matrix of an Arbitrary Object in the Method of Three Input Polarizations

The problem of the recovery of the complete Mueller matrix of an arbitrary object by additionally measuring the matrix elements whose values are not determined in base measuring cycles of the method of three input polarizations is considered. We suggest a number of methods for recovering the complete matrix of dependent and independent recovery and for carrying out two base measuring cycles of the method of three input polarizations. A comparative analysis of the accuracy characteristics of the proposed methods has been performed.     

Differentiating characteristic microstructural features of cancerous tissues using Mueller matrix microscope

Polarized light imaging can provide rich microstructural information of samples, and has been applied to the detections of various abnormal tissues. In this paper, we report a polarized light microscope based on Mueller matrix imaging by adding the polarization state generator and analyzer (PSG and PSA) to a commercial transmission optical microscope. The maximum errors for the absolute values of Mueller matrix elements are reduced to 0.01 after calibration. This Mueller matrix microscope has been used to examine human cervical and liver cancerous tissues with fibrosis. Images of the transformed Mueller matrix parameters provide quantitative assessment on the characteristic features of the pathological tissues. Contrast mechanism of the experimental results are backed up by Monte Carlo simulations based on the sphere–cylinder birefringence model, which reveal the relationship between the pathological features in the cancerous tissues at the cellular level and the polarization parameters. Both the experimental and simulated data indicate that the microscopic transformed Mueller matrix parameters can distinguish the breaking down of birefringent normal tissues for cervical cancer, or the formation of birefringent surrounding structures accompanying the inflammatory reaction for liver cancer. With its simple structure, fast measurement and high precision, polarized light microscope based on Mueller matrix shows a good diagnosis application prospect.     

Measurement of optical rotation and phase retardance of optical samples with depolarization effects using linearly and circularly polarized probe lights

This paper presents an experimental technique for measuring the optical rotation, depolarization, and phase retardance of optical samples. In the proposed approach, the optical properties of the sample are derived using a Stokes–Mueller matrix formalism in conjunction with linearly and circularly polarized probe lights. For a compound sample comprising a half-wave plate positioned in front of glucose solutions with concentrations ranging from 0 to 1.2 g/dl, the average normalized error in the measured rotation angle is determined to be 3.11% when using a linearly polarized light. The average surviving linear and circular polarization fractions of the glucose solutions are determined to be 1.0252 and 0.9945. The average normalized error in the measured retardance of the half-wave plate is 3.45%. When measuring a compound sample comprising a half-wave plate positioned in front of the scattered glucose solutions with turbidities from 0% to 50% by the addition of milk, experimental results show that the induced rotation angle increased as the turbidity increased, whereas both surviving linear and circular polarization fractions decreased as the turbidity increased. The effect of the turbidity on rotation angle is more significant than that on both surviving linear and circular polarization fractions. The average normalized error in the measured retardance of the half-wave plate is 1.43%. Consequently, a simplified geometry of the polarimeter is proposed to independently estimate the rotation angle, surviving linear and circular polarization fractions, and retardance from the derived viable algorithm.     

Use of Dirac matrices in polarization optics

Several matrix methods have been developed for studying polarization properties of light. Jones was the first to apply the matrix method to the study of polarization optics. In Jones matrix formalism the polarized wave field is represented by 2-element column matrix known as Jones Vector and the polarization device encountered by light is represented by a 2×2 matrix, known as the characteristic Jones matrix of the device. Mueller introduced a new matrix method where the wave field is represented by a 4-dimensional vector. The elements of the vector are the Stokes parameters of the beam. In Mueller matrix formalism the optical device is represented by a 4×4 real matrix known as ‘Mueller Matrix’ of the device. The use of coherency matrix also proves to the useful in the study of partially polarized light. Pauli spin matrices have been used to unify the different matrix treatments of polarization optical phenomena. The present article is an attempt to unify the analysis of polarization phenomena using Dirac matrices used by Dirac in quantum mechanics. We have however redefined the set of Dirac matrices in terms of the Kronecher product of Pauli spin matrices.     

Measurements of diffuse backscattering Mueller matrices of turbid media

We report on the development of a method that records spatially dependent intensity patterns of polarized light that arise from illuminating a turbid media with a polarized laser beam and being diffusely backscattered. Our technique employs polarized light from a He-Ne laser () which is focused onto the surface of the scattering medium. A surface area of approximately 2×2 cm centered on the light input point is imaged through polarization analysis optics onto a CCD camera. The Mueller matrix is reconstructed by 49 intensity measurements with various orientations of polarizer and analyzer. The measured Mueller matrix of polystyrene spheres was compared with the theory result of incoherent scattering of light by spheres. The experimental and theory results are in excellent agreement. It appears that the azimuthal patterns of the Mueller matrix are determined by the symmetry of the turbid media.     

旋转波片偏振仪波片方位误差研究

旋转波片Stokes偏振仪是最常用的测量光束偏振态的仪器。波片快轴方位误差是影响旋转波片Stokes偏振仪的主要误差源之一。为了研究波片方位偏差对测量精度的影响,提出了一种描述波片快轴方位误差向最终的偏振测量误差传递的数学模型,并引入协方差矩阵法表征偏振测量误差。根据这一模型,获得最优的偏振仪配置参数。在推导过程中,假设波片方位误差服从同一高斯分布。基于此误差模型,得到如下结论：(1)由波片方位误差引入的测量误差与光强测量次数N成反比;(2)测量误差独立于入射光强度,但是依赖于入射光偏振态(s₁, s₂, s₃)和波片的位相延迟量δ;(3)波片位相延迟量在(103.22°, 116.13°)范围内时波片方位误差引入的测量误差最小。最后,经过仿真实验证明,所得解析结果与仿真模拟结果相一致。     

Error analysis and Stokes parameter measurement of rotating quarter-wave plate polarimeter

In this paper, we present a simple Stokes parameter measurement method for a rotating quarter-wave plate polarimeter.This method is used to construct a model to describe the principle of how the magnitudes of errors influence the deviation of the output light Stokes parameter, on the basis of accuracy analysis of the retardance error of the quarter-wave plate,the misalignment of the analyzing polarizer, and the phase shift of the measured signals, which will help us to determine the magnitudes of these errors and then to acquire the correct results of Stokes parameters. The method is validated by the experiments on left-handed circularly polarized and linear horizontal polarization beams. With the improved method, the maximum measurement deviations of Stokes parameters for these two different polarized states are reduced from 2.72%to 2.68%, and from 3.83% to 1.06% respectively. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method can be used as a promising approach to Stokes parameter measurement for a rotating quarter-wave plate polarimeter.