Patent ID: 9551618
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: G01J

Claim:
1. A wavefront-division polarimetric analysis device to determine the polarisation state of an upstream light beam coming from a light source, comprising: means for dividing the wavefront of said upstream light beam, adapted to split said upstream light beam into N split light beams, where N is an integer higher than or equal to two, each of the N split light beams propagating along a direction of propagation forming an angle of deviation with the direction of propagation of the upstream light beam, the N deviation angles being all different, such that said N split light beams are angularly separated, polarisation modification means adapted to modify the polarisation state of each of said at least (N−1) split light beams, such that said N split light beams are polarised according to polarisation states that are all different, polarisation separation means, arranged so as to intercept said N split light beams, and adapted to generate, from each of said N split light beams, two light beams polarised according to two orthogonal polarisation states and along two different directions of propagation, so as to generate 2*N polarised light beams, a plurality of detectors intercepting said 2*N polarised light beams and arranged in such a manner that one detector intercepts only one of said 2*N polarised light beams, said plurality of detectors delivering 2*N signals relating to the luminous intensity of each of the 2*N polarised light beams intercepted by said detectors, and processing means adapted to collect said 2*N signals at the output of said plurality of detectors to determine the polarisation state of said upstream light beam from said luminous intensities of the 2*N polarised light beams.