Design and performance of a compact miniature static Fourier transform imaging spectropolarimeter

We propose a compact, miniature static Fourier transform imaging spectropolarimeter (SFTISP). The spectropolarimeter is formed by cascading two high order crystal retarders and a Wollaston birefringent interferometer. Compared with previous instruments, the most significant advantage of the described model is that without any internal moving parts, electrically controllable or micro-components, the entire wavelength-dependent state of polarization (SOP) is acquired simultaneously along a one-dimensional spatial image by a single snapshot. Also, we show that in this configuration we can benefit from the advantages of the element: compact, robust and high throughput of the Wollaston birefringent interferometer. The theory of the birefringent SFTISP is provided, followed by details of its specific embodiment. A simulation and an experimental demonstration of the sensor are also presented. The core optics of the breadboard sensor is as small as 8×Φ 3.5 cm3 in size. The operation spectral range is from 450 nm to 850 nm. The experiment results were shown to yield accuracy better than 3% over most of the operation spectral band.