The polarization of light has become a powerful tool for scientists in recent years. Astronomy, climatology, chemistry, and medicine are just a few sectors that are turning to this characteristic of light to produce a finer description of the environment they study.
However, the complete measurement of polarization at different wavelengths remains difficult. The difficulties are even more significant when the polarization measurement occurs in space. Current technologies are bulky, mainly featuring rotating components that can bring additional risk to the space mission. In this context, the present research discusses the development of a new method for measuring light polarization compatible with use in space.
Starting from ideas already presented in the specialized literature, we have refined here a new way to access the polarization of light that promises the construction of compact, robust, and highly accurate instruments. The present research provides a detailed theoretical description of this new method's operating principle and a practical demonstration. The results confirmed the ability to translate this method into high-performing instruments capable of accessing any polarization.
In addition, this research also highlights the versatility of the new method for measuring light polarization. It can be translated into instruments intended for use in space or for other applications; it can be adapted to determine only certain types of polarization, or it can be the basis for building imaging instruments. It opens a new horizon of development in polarimetry and spectropolarimetry. ... Read more

As GenAI becomes embedded in developer toolchains and practices, and routine code is increasingly generated, human creativity will be increasingly important for generating competitive advantage. This article uses the McLuhan tetrad alongside scenarios of how GenAI may disrupt software development more broadly, to identify potential impacts GenAI may have on creativity within software development. The impacts are discussed along with a future research agenda comprising five connected themes that consider how individual capabilities, team capabilities, the product, unintended consequences, and society can be affected. ... Read more

During the last few years, one of our main research topics has been developing a new type of spectropolarimeter intended for space applications. Initially analyzed numerically, the instrument has a compact, stable design without rotating components. The entire Stokes vector can be determined in a single shot in a vast spectral range. The simulations proved that the modulation schemes that can be obtained for this instrument are close to the optimal form. The objective of the current research is the experimental validation of this instrument. Here, we present the first results for determining the instrumental matrix and the demodulation results for a s eries of polarization states. In conclusion, we present the possible further developments of that project. ... Read more

The light emitted or reflected by a medium can exhibit a certain degree of polarization. Most of the time, this feature brings valuable information about the environment. However, instruments able to accurately measure any type of polarization are hard to build and adapt to inauspicious environments, such as space. To overcome this problem, we presented recently a design for a compact and steady polarimeter, able to measure the entire Stokes vector in a single shot. The first simulations revealed a very high modulation efficiency of the instrumental matrix for this concept. However, the shape and the content of this matrix can change with the characteristics of the optical system, such as the pixel size, the wavelength or the number of pixels. To assess the quality of the instrumental matrices for different optical characteristics, we analyze here the propagation of errors, together with the impact of different types of noise. The results show that the instrumental matrices are converging towards an optimal shape. On this basis, the theoretical limits of sensitivity on the Stokes parameters are inferred. ... Read more

A novel method for space object identification is proposed, based on full Stokes spectropolarimetry in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range. Space objects that have been previously detected and are illuminated by the sun can be observed with a telescope to simultaneously obtain intensity, spectra, and polarimetry, and compose light curves of these parameters as function of time. The intention is to thus assign a unique identification, or at least a classification to these objects. Single, double, and multiple reflections of sunlight off the space object (natural or artificial objects, including debris) will introduce spectrally dependent polarisation into the scattered light, the spectral signature of which is affected by the complex refractive index of the scattering materials and the geometry. The simultaneous measurement of the full Stokes vector allows separation of the light source unpolarised spectral signatures on the one hand from the polarisation spectral features on the other hand. To illustrate the concept, we have performed a number of simulations for double scattering off a small selection of materials, for a large range of scattering geometries. Examples of individual scattering geometries and statistical summaries of all geometries are presented. A demonstrator spectropolarimeter is being built, we present an overview of the design and the high level planning, as well as some predicted performance parameters. ... Read more

This paper presents the firsts steps of the development of a new spectropolarimeter with a high potential for space applications. The instrument, designed on birefringent elements, avoids the need for rotating elements and may cover the entire Stokes vector on a large wavelength band. In addition, the architecture of the modulator enables a very high polarimetric efficiency, placing this concept above classical spectropolarimeters. A new proof for the solution uniqueness is presented, and base on that, a thorough analysis of the polarimetric efficiency. ... Read more

An innovative model of a static spectropolarimeter able to cover the entire Stokes vector is discussed. The optical layout is based on a birefringent modulator formed by two antiparallel prisms stuck together with the help of an intermediary part of the same material. This optical model has the advantage of being extremely compact. It avoids any movable parts or rotating components. By its architecture, the device induces a complete modulation on the vertical direction of any incoming polarized light, facilitating the determination of the entire Stokes vector through a single measurement. Because the modulation is also wavelength-dependent, spectral dependencies of the polarization states can be derived. The behavior of the model was first investigated in noise-free conditions. The existence of a unique solution was proven in the absence of noise and for any Stokes vector configuration. Under noisy conditions, the uncertainty on the Stokes parameters and the efficiency of the modulation scheme were evaluated as a function of the analyzer’s angle and for two different configurations of the modulator. The simulations show that an almost ideal efficiency is reachable, qualifying the concept for the high-precision measurement of the polarization. ... Read more