# Integrated Polarimetric Spectral Imaging Sensor Combining Spectral Imaging and Polarization Modulation Techniques

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a compact polarimetric spectral imaging sensor that reduces system size and improves accuracy for applications like environmental monitoring and material identification.

## Contribution

A novel integration of polarization modulation and push-broom scanning reduces system size by 70% and enables accurate polarization measurement with a Fourier transform-based algorithm.

## Key findings

- The system volume is reduced by approximately 70% with a total weight of around 1.5 kg.
- The Fourier transform-based algorithm achieves a linear polarization measurement error of less than 2.87%.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
The proposed integration of polarization modulation with push-broom scanning reduces the system volume by approximately 70% and achieves a total weight of around 1.5 kg, compared with traditional technology.The developed Fourier transform-based demodulation algorithm achieves accurate reconstruction of polarimetric spectral image information, with a linear polarization measurement error of less than 2.87% verified by experiments.

The proposed integration of polarization modulation with push-broom scanning reduces the system volume by approximately 70% and achieves a total weight of around 1.5 kg, compared with traditional technology.

The developed Fourier transform-based demodulation algorithm achieves accurate reconstruction of polarimetric spectral image information, with a linear polarization measurement error of less than 2.87% verified by experiments.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Retrieval of Earth’s atmospheric composition and optical parametersThe identification of sensitive bands reduces the number of redundant experiments and guides polarization-based material discrimination.

Retrieval of Earth’s atmospheric composition and optical parameters

The identification of sensitive bands reduces the number of redundant experiments and guides polarization-based material discrimination.

Polarimetric spectral imaging systems have unique application advantages in environmental remote sensing, military target recognition, astronomy, medicine, etc., because of their ability to acquire multidimensional information. However, traditional systems are constrained by complex structures and low spectral resolution, making them unlikely to achieve their full potential. This study proposes a novel polarimetric spectral imaging method for information acquisition to address these shortcomings. The method integrates a polarization modulator (composed of two retarders and one polarizer) into the incident optical path of a push-broom imaging spectrometer for hardware integration. The modulator statically encodes the full polarization spectral information of the measured light into output power spectra, which the spectrometer records as raw spectral image data. Target polarimetric spectral imaging information is then reconstructed from the raw data to realize sensor functions. The system structure, data reconstruction principles, laboratory experiments with typical polarized light sources, and preliminary outdoor experiments verified the system’s correctness and reliability. The results facilitate further expansion of the application scope of polarimetric spectral imaging systems.