LWIR polarimeter calibration

Previously reported efforts to calibrate a MWIR imaging polarimeter met with moderate success. Recent efforts to calibrate a LWIR sensor using a different technique have been much more fruitful. For our sensor, which is based on a rotating retarder, we have improved system calibration substantially by including nonuniformity correction (NUC) at all measurement positions of the retarder in our polarization data analysis. This technique can account for effects such as spurious optical reflections within a camera system that had been masquerading as false polarization in our previous data analysis methodology. Our techniques will be described and our calibration results will be quantified. Data from field-testing will be presented.