Single-shot 3x3 Mueller matrix microscopy with color polarization encoding

Snapshot retrieval of linear Stokes parameters in polarized light microscopy has benefited from recent advances in nanotechnology which have made polarization image sensors commercially available. Real-time retrieval of 3x3 Mueller matrix is however limited by the need of time sequential change of polarization states in the input. In the present letter we propose a cost-effective technique for real-time retrieval of 3x3 Mueller matrix by encoding linear polarization states in each of the three color channels of the source and analyzing light passing through the sample by means of a color polarization sensor placed in the imaging plane of a transmission microscope. Validation experiments for samples under real-time imaging conditions are presented. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on snapshot 3x3 Mueller matrix elements retrieval in polarized light microscopy by combining Division of Focal Plane color polarimetric sensing and polarization color encoding of the source.