Polarization– how the electrical field oscillates as light propagates– is also abundant with information, however polarization imaging stays mainly restricted to table-top laboratory settings, relying on conventional optics such as waveplates and polarizers on bulky rotational mounts.Breakthrough in Compact Polarization ImagingNow, scientists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have actually developed a compact, single-shot polarization imaging system that can offer a complete image of polarization. Credit: Aun Zaidi/Harvard SEAS”This system, which is totally free of any moving parts or bulk polarization optics, will empower applications in real-time medical imaging, product characterization, maker vision, target detection, and other essential locations,” stated Federico Capasso, the Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering at SEAS and senior author of the paper.In previous research study, Capasso and his group developed a first-of-its-kind compact polarization electronic camera to record so-called Stokes images, images of the polarization signature reflecting off an item– without controlling the incident illumination.Active Polarization Imaging”Just as the shade or even the color of an item can appear different depending on the color of the occurrence lighting, the polarization signature of a things depends on the polarization profile of the lighting,” said Aun Zaidi, a current PhD graduate from Capassos group and first author of the paper. “In contrast to standard polarization imaging, active polarization imaging, understood as Mueller matrix imaging, can record the most total polarization reaction of an object by controlling the event polarization.
Polarization– how the electric field oscillates as light propagates– is also abundant with information, however polarization imaging stays primarily restricted to table-top lab settings, relying on standard optics such as waveplates and polarizers on large rotational mounts.Breakthrough in Compact Polarization ImagingNow, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have established a compact, single-shot polarization imaging system that can provide a complete photo of polarization. Credit: Aun Zaidi/Harvard SEAS”This system, which is free of any moving parts or bulk polarization optics, will empower applications in real-time medical imaging, material characterization, machine vision, target detection, and other important areas,” stated Federico Capasso, the Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering at SEAS and senior author of the paper.In previous research, Capasso and his team established a first-of-its-kind compact polarization camera to capture so-called Stokes images, images of the polarization signature reflecting off a things– without managing the event illumination.Active Polarization Imaging”Just as the shade or even the color of an item can appear different depending on the color of the event illumination, the polarization signature of an item depends on the polarization profile of the illumination,” said Aun Zaidi, a recent PhD graduate from Capassos group and first author of the paper. “In contrast to traditional polarization imaging, active polarization imaging, understood as Mueller matrix imaging, can catch the most complete polarization action of an item by managing the event polarization.