Optimization of the contrast in polarimetric scalar images

We consider active polarimetric imaging systems that illuminate a scene with an incident polarization state and project the backscattered light on another polarization state in order to produce a scalar intensity image. We present and analyze a method for determining the configuration of illumination and analysis polarization states that maximizes the observed contrast between a target and the background when the scene is partially depolarizing and in the presence of additive Gaussian detection noise. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America