Temporally multiplexed LADAR polarimeter
US10816649B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 24, 2018 |
| Grant date | Oct 27, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 30, 2039 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/89
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In a polarimeter, a polarization modulator changes a polarization phase of an output optical pulse with a modulation function that varies in time over the duration of the optical pulse. A static polarization state analyzer, which includes a one or more static polarization component analyzers and detectors, receives the modulated optical pulse after interaction with a target medium and provides time varying intensities of the polarization components of the received pulse. A signal processing module determines a polarization property of the target medium, such as a Mueller matrix, dependent upon time varied intensities over the duration of the received optical pulse. A time-division optical multiplexer may be used to combine the outputs from multiple static polarization component analyzers to form a single time-multiplexed signal comprising a plurality of optical pulses that are separated in time and passed to a single photo-detector.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.