ELECTRO-OPTICS  LABORATORY

Polarization-encoded computational imaging with incoherent illumination is a rapidly evolving multidimensional imaging technology. Most polarization-sensitive optical imaging systems introduce only polarization-based intensity variation. In this study, we examine two advanced polarization-resolved imaging methods that introduce polarization-based image blurs as well as intensity variations. Both methods, based on the concepts of coded aperture imaging, exploit the polarization-dependent modulation capability of spatial light modulators (SLMs) to generate unique polarization-dependent intensity patterns. The first method encodes simultaneously object information along five dimensions – 3D space, wavelength, and polarization (two orthogonal states) using an SLM and a passive diffractive optical element. In the second method, an SLM is divided into two areas to provide two polarization-dependent modulations that are utilized to provide 3D imaging – 2D space and polarization with distinct discrimination among three polarization orientations, eliminating the need for additional polarization optics or passive diffractive elements. We believe that the developed polarization-resolved imaging techniques will be useful for material inspection, birefringence analysis and biomedical imaging.