Portable real-time polarimeter for partially and fully polarized light

We present a portable polarimeter capable of real-time visualization of partial and fully polarized light over a broad band of wavelengths. Our system utilizes a Raspberry Pi computer with a low-cost data acquisition "HAT" and an integrated photodetection circuit. Wide bandwidth operation is achieved through digital calibration of an arbitrary retardance waveplate presented herein. All mechanical, electrical, and software components are open source and available on a GitHub repository. This completely integrated approach provides an efficient tool for modern optics research laboratories and is well-suited for educational demonstrations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Review of Scientific Instruments
Published
2024-12-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0231851
Primary Topic
Optical Polarization and Ellipsometry
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Portable real-time polarimeter for partially and fully polarized light

Allan McKay, Abin Saji, Andrés Felipe Salazar Ramos, Andrew MacRae et al.
Review of Scientific Instruments
Optical Polarization and Ellipsometry
article

Portable real-time polarimeter for partially and fully polarized light

Allan McKay, Abin Saji, Andrés Felipe Salazar Ramos, Andrew MacRae, Scott Wilkinson, Bethany Ann Mackey, L. Hall, O. Sandner
article en

Abstract

We present a portable polarimeter capable of real-time visualization of partial and fully polarized light over a broad band of wavelengths. Our system utilizes a Raspberry Pi computer with a low-cost data acquisition "HAT" and an integrated photodetection circuit. Wide bandwidth operation is achieved through digital calibration of an arbitrary retardance waveplate presented herein. All mechanical, electrical, and software components are open source and available on a GitHub repository. This completely integrated approach provides an efficient tool for modern optics research laboratories and is well-suited for educational demonstrations.

Review of Scientific InstrumentsVol. 95(12)
Cochin University of Science and Technology (IN), University of Victoria (CA), Universidad del Valle (CO)
Mitacs, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 80%
Optical Polarization and Ellipsometry
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Portable real-time polarimeter for partially and fully polarized light — Allan McKay, Abin Saji, et al. · Review of Scientific Instruments (2024) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS