Patent ID: 7573579

Claim:
An imaging polarimeter, comprising: a transverse polarization dispersing element that polarimetrically disperses an image of an object; a transverse spatial light modulator that spatially modulates the polarimetrically dispersed image; a complementary transverse polarization dispersing element that polarimetrically combines the spatially modulated and polarimetrically dispersed image; a polarization analyzer that mixes orthogonal input polarizations with the polarization states of the polarimetrically combined spatially modulated image; an electronic detection plane that measures the polarimetrically combined spatially modulated image with mixed polarization states; and a processor that calculates a polarization of the image from the measured polarimetrically combined spatially modulated image with mixed polarization states, an effect of the transverse polarization dispersing element; an effect of the transverse spatial light modulator, an effect of the complementary transverse polarization dispersing element, and an effect of the polarization analyzer.