Flat, wide field-of-view imaging polarimeter

Stokes imaging polarimetry is the measurement of light’s polarization state over a photographic scene. Measuring a Stokes vector image requires capturing multiple projective polarization state images. New hardware and approaches for acquiring these polarization measurements are of broad technological interest. Here, we present a fully passive imaging polarimeter in which all necessary optical components are integrated onto a single flat glass substrate. Two metasurface optical elements handle polarization analysis and wide field of view (FOV) imaging, respectively, yielding a camera capable of Stokes polarization imaging over a 40° FOV and an 870±5nm bandwidth. Design, calibration, characterization, and imaging aspects of the polarimeter are described. This concept, which extends straightforwardly to other wavelengths, may find application in a variety of remote sensing tasks and technologies.