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In this paper, we introduce a novel class of systems called channeled partial Mueller matrix polarimeters (c-pMMPs). Their analysis benefits greatly by drawing from the concepts of generalized construction of channeled polarimeters as described by the modulation matrix. The modulation matrix resembles that of the data reduction method of a conventional polarimeter, but instead of using Mueller vectors as the bases, attention is focused on the Fourier properties of the measurement conditions. By leveraging the understanding of the measurement's structure, its decomposition can be manipulated to reveal noise resilience and information about the polarimeter's ability to measure the aspect of polarization that are important for any given task. We demonstrate the theory with a numerical optimization that designs c-pMMPs for the task of monitoring the damage state of a material as presented earlier by Hoover and Tyo [Appl. Opt.46, 8364 (2007)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.46.008364]. We select several example systems that produce a fewer-than-full-system number of channels yet retain the ability to discriminate objects of interest. Their respective trade-offs are discussed.

Partial Mueller matrix polarimeters (pMMPs) are active sensing instruments that probe a scattering process with a set of polarization states and analyze the scattered light with a second set of polarization states. Unlike conventional Mueller matrix polarimeters, pMMPs do not attempt to reconstruct the entire Mueller matrix. With proper choice of generator and analyzer states, a subset of the Mueller matrix space can be reconstructed with fewer measurements than that of the full Mueller matrix polarimeter. In this paper we consider the structure of the Mueller matrix and our ability to probe it using a reduced number of measurements. We develop analysis tools that allow us to relate the particular choice of generator and analyzer polarization states to the portion of Mueller matrix space that the instrument measures, as well as develop an optimization method that is based on balancing the signal-to-noise ratio of the resulting instrument with the ability of that instrument to accurately measure a particular set of desired polarization components with as few measurements as possible. In the process, we identify 10 classes of pMMP systems, for which the space coverage is immediately known. We demonstrate the theory with a numerical example that designs partial polarimeters for the task of monitoring the damage state of a material as presented earlier by Hoover and Tyo [Appl. Opt.46, 8364 (2007)10.1364/AO.46.008364APOPAI1559-128X]. We show that we can reduce the polarimeter to making eight measurements while still covering the Mueller matrix subspace spanned by the objects.