Portable polarimetric underwater imaging system with a linear response

摘要

Polarized light plays an important role in the underwater environment. Light that is scattered within the water is partially polarized. Biological and artificial systems can exploit this phenomenon. We aim to utilize this phenomenon in a new generation of underwater imaging systems in order to partially compensate for the loss of color and visibility. In order to obtain quantitative measurement of radiance and polarization, the imaging system should have a linear radiometric response and low noise. In addition, the interface of the camera with the water should have a minimum effect on the polarization. In this paper, we describe a portable lightweight imaging system that addresses these conditions. We detail the design considerations and empirical verifications.