Pupil-plane speckle imaging using referenced polarization for wavefront estimations

A technique has been developed and tested in the laboratory where speckled images are reconstructed from pupil-plane speckle data. The wavefront is estimated using a technique similar to optical heterodyne. The method requires pupil- plane data to be mixed with a plane wave whose polarization is orthogonal to the speckle polarization. A polarimeter is then used as part of the detection scheme. If the polarimeter is capable of simultaneous detection of four or more channels, a key advantage to the technique becomes its speed. Fast detection overcomes some of the problems of Doppler shifts seen in the heterodyne detection scheme. This eliminates the need for high frame rate cameras. A simple theoretical basis for the technique is presented along with a description of the experiment and the results from that experiment. Practical applications for this technique are briefly explored.