An analytic mathematical model is developed for a Liquid Crystal Variable Retarder (LCVR) based on an extended Jones matrix representation. The model is used to determine the polarimetric response of the LCVR to rays of non-normal incidence. The model shows reasonable agreement with laboratory measurements of a LCVR for both linear and circular input polarizations at arbitrary incident angles. The model is also applied to a two-LCVR imaging polarimeter system that is capable of measuring the full Stokes parameters of a scene. It is shown that the LCVR response can have a significant effect on the recovered Stokes values for non-normal incidence, which is important for determining the polarimetric performance of such a system over an extended field-of-view.

Date Published: 18 August 2005
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 5888, Polarization Science and Remote Sensing II, 58881J (18 August 2005); doi: 10.1117/12.619545

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5888:
Polarization Science and Remote Sensing II
Joseph A. Shaw; J. Scott Tyo, Editor(s)