High precision calibration method for a four-axis Mueller matrix polarimeter

Abstract

We present a novel method for calibrating a four-axis Mueller matrix polarimeter. This method is valid even for non-ideal optical elements, as it models all polarization elements having both diattenuation and retardance. The method is divided in seven experimental steps, where all the optical elements are calibrated each at a time, plus a numerical fitting process. The fitting method is flexible, allowing to choose between accuracy and speed. The error obtained after the fitting is lower than 0.5% for all steps, and the final error in the determined Mueller matrix elements can be reduced to 4 ×10 −4.