Compact snapshot polarimetry camera

1. An imaging polarimeter optics unit comprising:

a first polarization-sensitive beam-splitter optic, a retarder, a second polarization-sensitive beam-splitter optic, and an analyzer, through which input light passes in sequence, wherein the retarder and polarization-sensitive beam-splitters cause the input light to have optical components that provide different information about the state of polarization of the input beam.

2. The optics unit of claim 1 , wherein the analyzer is arranged such that a transmission axis of the analyzer is not coincident with the direction of the principal axis of the second polarization-sensitive beam-splitter optic.

3. The optics unit of claim 1 , wherein a polarization-sensitive beam-splitter optic is a Savart plate.

4. The optics unit of claim 1 , wherein both first and second polarization-sensitive beam-splitter optics are Savart plates.

5. The optics unit of claim 1 , wherein the analyzer is arranged such that a transmission axis of the analyzer is arranged at an angle of 45° with respect to the direction of the principal axis of the second polarization-sensitive beam-splitter optic.

6. The optics unit of claim 1 , wherein the retarder is a half-wave plate.

7. The optics unit of claim 1 , further comprising a focusing lens.

8. The optics unit of claim 7 , further comprising a Fourier transform lens placed at or about the focal point of the focusing lens.

9. The optics unit of claim 8 , further comprising a detector.

10. The optics unit of claim 9 , wherein the detector is a CCD or CMOS.

11. A method for determining polarization properties of light from an object, comprising the steps of:

providing an optical path from the object to a detector;

providing in the optical path an optics unit of claim 8 ;

detecting the optical Fourier transform of the image at the detector;

calculating polarization properties from the optical Fourier transform at the detector.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein polarization properties are the Stokes Vectors.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein polarization properties are the Stokes vectors in the infrared spectrum.

14. The optics unit of claim 1 , further comprising a detector.

15. The optics unit of claim 14 , wherein the detector is a CCD or CMOS.

16. The optics unit of claim 14 , wherein the detector is a camera.

17. The optics unit of claim 14 , wherein the detector is a miniature camera.

18. The optics unit of claim 14 , wherein a detector is positioned at the focal plane of the focusing lens.

19. The optics unit of claim 1 , wherein the optics unit is less than 1.5 cm long.

20. A method for determining polarization properties of light from an object, comprising the steps of:

providing an optical path from the object to a detector;

providing in the optical path an optics unit of claim 1 ;

detecting the image at the detector;

calculating polarization properties from the image at the detector.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein polarization properties are the Stokes vectors.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein polarization properties are the Stokes vectors in the infrared spectrum.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the calculating step comprises performing a Fourier transform analysis of the image at the detector.

24. A polarimetry camera comprising:

a first Savart plate;

a second Savart plate;

a half-wave plate;

an analyzer;

a lens; and

a sensor, through which input light passes in sequence along an optical axis,

wherein the half-wave plate is positioned so that the optical axis of the half-wave plate forms an angle of 22.5° with respect to the direction of the optical axis of the first Savart plate, the optical axis of the first and second Savart plates are substantially the same, and the transmission axis of the analyzer forms an angle of 45° with the transmission axis of the second Savart plate.