Imaging polarimeters for optical metrology

Two configurations of imaging polarimeters are described that are designed for polaimetric optical metrology. The first is a Stokes imaging polarimeter which measures the polarization response of optical systems to spherical or planar waves of known polarization. The output is images of the degree of polarization, orientation, and eccentricity of polarization ellipses, or Stokes parameters displayed as a function of either the exit pupil or image coordinate of the optical system. The second configuration is a Mueller imaging polarimeter which measures the Mueller matrix of an optical system on a ray-by-ray basis. Calibration issues involved in building the instruments are addressed along with a brief discussion on polarization aberration mechanisms.