Mapping local retardance in birefringent samples using polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography.

Chuanmao Fan, Gang Yao

Department of Biological Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65211-5200, USA.

Optics letters 2012 May 1

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We proposed a method to extract depth-resolved local retardance in birefringent samples from conventional polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) that uses one circularly polarized incident light. Despite the wide use of such PSOCT systems in characterizing birefringent samples, the measured cumulative retardance does not represent the true cumulative retardance when optical axis varies with depth. A Jones calculus based algorithm was designed to derive the local depth-resolved retardance from conventional cumulative PSOCT results. The algorithm was tested in samples with homogeneous optical axis as well as samples with depth-dependent optical axis.

Citation

Chuanmao Fan, Gang Yao. Mapping local retardance in birefringent samples using polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography. Optics letters. 2012 May 1;37(9):1415-7