Figures of merit for complete Stokes polarimeter optimization

Figures of merit for optimization of a complete Stokes polarimeter based on its measurement matrix are described which are not limited in their application to cases in which four measurements are used in the determination of a single Stokes vector. Singular value decomposition and probability theory are used to investigate the behavior and significance of these figures of merit. Their use to optimize a system consisting of a rotatable retarder and fixed polarizer indicates that a retardance of 132 degrees (approximately three-eighths wave) and retarder orientation angles of +/-51.7 degrees and +/-15.1 degrees are favorable when four measurements are used. The performance of this system is demonstrated with experimental data.