The invention discloses a compact micro snapshot 
channel modulation full 
polarization imaging detection device and method. The detection device comprises an object lens, a full 
polarization modulation module and a surface array 
detector which are sequentially arranged along incident light, wherein the full 
polarization modulation module comprises a first 
birefringence prism, a first half-wave plate, a second 
birefringence prism, a second half-wave plate, a third 
birefringence prism, a third half-wave plate, a fourth birefringence prism and a linear 
polarizer which are sequentially arranged along the incident light, the parts cling to each other, the linear 
polarizer is arranged clinging to a photosurface of the surface array 
detector, and the photosurface of the surface array 
detector is perpendicular to an 
optical axis of the detection device and is at the 
image plane position of the object lens. The detection device is advantaged in that the full 
polarization modulation module capable of realizing combination prism light splitting is employed, the interference intensity information of a detected two-dimensional target through 
channel modulation at the certain time can be acquired through shooting an image, and two-dimensional space polarization graphs corresponding to all the Stokes polarization parameters can be acquired through utilizing a Fourier 
demodulation algorithm for 
processing.