We show how to construct and calibrate a full-Stokes imaging polarimeter system by combining the video data from two separate polarization cameras with a nonpolarizing beamsplitter and a waveplate. As a result, this system can capture the full Stokes vector at each pixel for 3 megapixel images at up to 60 Hz. To demonstrate some of the advantages of measuring the
Microgrid polarization cameras have historically experienced lower performance than is typical for monolithic polarization systems. Specifically, their polarizer elements have had a lower extinction ratio and a larger orientation error. We show how to use the calibrated parameters of a nonideal polarizer to modify the polarization measurement model, effectively allowing one to generate high-performance measurements from low-performance elements. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach on a commercial polarization camera and estimate the signal-to-noise ratio penalty for using nonideal polarizers in this camera as being 1.25 × versus a system using ideal polarizers.
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