Polarization imaging system using a volume-grating Stokesmeter

We have developed a polarization imaging system using thick multiplexed holograms to identify all four Stokes parameters of the input beam. We derive the Mueller matrix defined in terms of diffracted amplitudes of planar and perpendicular polarization components, and determine the constraints for reconstructing the complete Stokes vector. Highly polarization-sensitive holographic gratings required for a holographic Stokesmeter (HSM) has been made. These gratings are accurately described by coupled-wave analysis. A numerical analysis of the noise tolerance of the Stokesmeter has been performed, and the gratings demonstrated allow the construction of an HSM. The use of a heterodyne receiver architecture can lead to additional gains in the signal-to-noise ratio.; We then have performed measurements of arbitrary Stokes parameters required for a polarimetric imaging with the HSM that consists of two sets of rotated orthogonal gratings and a quarter-wave plate. These measured values are compared well to values measured using the quarter-wave plate/linear polarizer method, which establishes the feasibility of such a Stokesmeter in its original configuration. We demonstrate further the basic mechanism behind a compact architecture for this device, requiring only a single substrate and a single imaging system, and describe a spectrally scanned polarimetric imaging system. We have demonstrated this spectrally scanned HSM by measuring arbitrary Stokes parameters of input beams for two different wavelengths. The ability to combine spectral discrimination with polarization imaging makes this HSM a unique device of significant interest.; Photonic Band Gap (PBG) materials with spatially periodic dielectric functions can be considered as a limit of volume holographic gratings with a high-contrast periodic modulation of their complex refractive index. We describe general properties of PBG materials and show some fabrication examples to implement 2D PBG structures. We then have shown the photonic band gaps as well as defect modes of photonic crystals using Finite-Difference Time-Domain method. We demonstrate further a polarization-dependent photonic band gap of a 2D photonic crystal based on this FDTD approach, which allows one to construct a PBG-based universal Stokesmeter. In addition, we describe a spectrally resolved Stokesmeter using the scaling property of photonic band gap materials.