Title

Comparison of quarter-wave retarders over finite spectral and angular bandwidths for infrared polarimetric-imaging applications

Authors

Authors

S. L. Wadsworth;G. D. Boreman

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Appl. Optics

Keywords

FABRICATION; PLATE; Optics

Abstract

We compare three technological approaches for quarter-wave retarders within the context of polarimetric-imaging applications in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectrum. Performance of a commercial cadmium sulfide (CdS) crystalline waveplate, a multilayer meanderline structure, and a silicon (Si) form-birefringent retarder are evaluated under conditions of 8-12 mu m broadband radiation emerging from an F/1 focusing objective. Metrics used for this comparison are the spectrally dependent axial ratio, retardance, and polarization-averaged power transmittance, which are averaged over the angular range of interest. These parameters correspond to the characteristics that would be observed at the focal-plane array (FPA) detector of an LWIR imaging polarimeter. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America

Journal Title

Applied Optics

Volume

50

Issue/Number

36

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

6682

Last Page

6688

WOS Identifier

WOS:000299166700018

ISSN

1559-128X

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