Polarization properties of reflected light with natural light incidence and elimination of angle of incidence ambiguity

Polarization imaging technology provides information about not only the irradiance of a target but also the degree of polarization and angle of polarization, which indicate extensive application potential in the field of ocean remote sensing. Natural light can be converted into partially polarized light by the reflection from an interface, and the Fresnel equations can describe the quantitative relationship between the angle of incidence and the degree of polarization of the reflected light. However, the relationship between the angle of polarization and angle of incidence has rarely been studied. In this study, we investigate the polarization state model of reflected light and establish the relationship between the angle of polarization and angle of incidence. This is verified using polarization imaging experiments on a glass plate and calm water surface. The results indicate that the theoretical model agrees well with the experimental results. A method to eliminate the ambiguity of the angle of incidence is proposed based on the model, and its effectiveness and feasibility are verified. It lays the theoretical foundation for imaging detection based on the polarization imaging of transparent media surfaces and sea surface ripples.