Precision of retardance autocalibration in full-Stokes division-of-focal-plane imaging polarimeters

We investigate the validity domain and precision of retardance autocalibration in full-Stokes imaging polarimeters based on a linear division-of-focal-plane polarization camera. We demonstrate that the level of precision of autocalibration in these systems gets worse as the degree of linear polarization of input Stokes vector approaches zero. Auto calibration is impossible when the input is purely circular or totally unpolarized. In all other cases, reaching a given level of precision requires a higher signal-to-noise ratio as the input gets closer to circular or unpolarized. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America