Polarimetric Imaging is an information processing problem.

It begs a question: How can signal processing

theory be useful for optimizing polarimetric systems.
The Poincare sphere can be seen as the graphic representation of the 3 last components of the Stokes vector
What we measure is I, but what we want to know is S
A Linear relation is assumed
In practice what one measures is not only W and I but also noise. When isolating the real equation one gets
that the noise depends on the matrix W.

The matrix that will ensure the best precision and the smallest noise. To determine this optimal matrix one has
to decide criteria, for example, the EWV. If one wants to minimize the EWV one has to find the matrix W that
minimizes the pointed out criteria tr[]
The said problem has been solved. People have shown by different means that the optimal measurement
matrix has to be composed of 4 vectors. I.E. when the 4 vector form a regular tetrahedron in the Pointcare
sphere. In this case one can compute the variance.
For any value of N there is at least one spherical 2-design except for N=5.

The EWV is directly proportional to the variance of the noise and inversely proportional to the number of
measurements, i.e. the more measurements the less the variance.
Additive noise is also called dark noise, i.e. the noise obtain when looking at nothing
The variance of the ellipticity can be computed as:

It is not possible to have an exact expression of the variance but the above approximations are useful
The intrinsic design if the DOFP camera makes it the optimal device to estimate the ANGLE OF POLARIZATION
With a spherical design the AOLP variance is to be higher
IE the Matrix W is not ideal
The above applies to linear Stokes Vectors