Effect of the estimation result of the degree of polarization of target light on clear imaging.

Previous underwater imaging methods have not developed a clear idea of estimating the degree of polarization of target light (Pobj). To address this issue, this Letter answers the question of how the estimation result of Pobj affects clear imaging. First, the theoretical derivation states that Pobj is simply a scale modulation factor of the imaging result. Second, experiments are conducted for validation, and results conform well to the derivation. Hence, the effect of the estimated Pobj on clear imaging is obtained. This parameter only influences brightness rather than contrast but may cause noise amplification as well as the unfavorable result of negative pixels. Therefore, no precise estimation is needed; pick the value near the ends of the definition domain directly and take the absolute value. Based on these, a new imaging formula is proposed, enabling the processing time to fulfill the actual dynamic imaging requirements. As far as we are concerned, the attained prior knowledge and formula could provide strong assistance for underwater polarization imaging.