Fully tunable active polarization imager for contrast enhancement and partial polarimetry

We present the design and the practical implementation of a polarimetric imaging system based on liquid-crystal modulators that allows generation and analysis of any polarization state on the Poincare sphere. This system is more versatile than standard Mueller imagers that are based on optimized, but limited, sets of illumination and analysis states. Examples of benefits brought by these extra degrees of freedom are illustrated on two different applications: contrast enhancement and extraction of partial polarimetric properties of a scene. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America