Polarimetric hyperspectral imaging with acousto-optic tunable filter in the visible to shortwave infrared range

Tellurium dioxide is the most widely used uniaxial crystal for acousto-optic devices. Acousto-optic tunable filters based on this material can cover spectral range from UV to MWIR in a non-collinear configuration. The diffracted narrow band output beams have orthogonal linear polarizations, propagating in different directions, allowing the filter to act as polarizing beam splitter/analyzer as well. To achieve full electronic tuning, two liquid crystal variable retarders are used to measure all six polarization states used in the calculation of Stokes vector. We will present the design of the instrument, test results, and performance considerations.