<title>Portable visible imaging spectropolarimeter for remote sensing applications</title>

Abstract

We have developed a laboratory breadboard spectropolarimetric hyperspectral imaging sensor for operation in the visible-near IR waveband to demonstrate its potential for future airborne and spaceborne systems. An existing spatially modulated imaging Fourier transform spectrometer was modified by the addition of polarization analyzer components. Images collected by the focal plane array vary spatially in one dimension and spectrally in the other. A scanning slit simulates a pushbroom scanning mode for the second spatial dimension. Polarimetric sensing is accomplished using two liquid crystal variable retarders in tandem followed by a linear polarizer. To recover the complete Stokes vector four images, each with distinct combinations of retardances, are collected for each slit position. Sample images are presented.