Polarization plays a unique role in Imaging Science and Optical Engineering because system performance can often be substantially improved when polarization effects are exploited and polarization-sensitive measurements are utilized. Polarization measurements can also add scientific capabilities to systems. Formulating tractable system-performance optimizations to design polarization imaging systems, perform detection/classification tasks, and configure data-acquisition protocols are the foundation of the research at the Polarization Lab. Current projects and collaborations include atmospheric measurements and modeling of cloud polarization and wildfire smoke. Our expertise in computer vision and rendering is utilized to demonstrate novel capabilities using polarization-aware systems.
