title: Imaging linear polarimetry using a single ferroelectric liquid crystal modulator.
abstract: In the field of polarimetry, ferroelectric liquid crystal cells are mostly used as bistable polarization rotators suitable to analyze crossed polarizations. This paper shows that, provided such a cell is used at its nominal wavelength and correctly driven, its behavior is close to that of a tunable half-wave plate, and it can be used with much benefit in lightweight imaging polarimetric setups. A partial Stokes polarimeter using a single digital video camera and a single ferroelectric liquid crystal modulator is designed and implemented for linear polarization analysis. Polarization azimuthal angle and degree of linear polarization are available at 150 frames per second with a good accuracy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Modélisation Intelligence Processus Systèmes (EA 2332), Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’IngénieursSud Alsace, Université de Haute-Alsace, 12 rue des Frères Lumière, 68093 Mulhouse Cedex, France. luc.gendre@uha.fr
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gendre
authors.forename: Alban
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foulonneau
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bigué
mesh_terms: D050866:Liquid Crystals; D055096:Optical Devices; D009904:Optical Rotation; D014741:Video Recording