Polychromatic polarization state generator and its application for real-time birefringence imaging

摘要

Apparatus for generating polychromatic polarized light with the polarization ellipse orientation determined by the wavelength. The proposed polychromatic polarization state generator can be used in various configurations of polarized light microscope (called “polychromatic polscope”) for imaging birefringent samples. The polychromatic polscope produces a spectral-modulated visual scene, in which birefringent structures are evident because their appearance is different from the background. New polarized light microscope can subtract the background and produce video-enhanced color image of birefringent structures. The obtained picture can be also mathematically processed in order to obtain a map of quantitative distribution of specimen retardation and orientation of the principal axes.

主权项

1. An apparatus for imaging birefringence in a sample, comprising:
an illuminator for providing an illumination light; optics for directing the illumination light toward the sample; a detector for registering color images; optics for directing light that has interacted with the sample toward the detector; two polarization state generators; wherein:
one polarization state generator is located between the illuminator and the sample; andanother polarization state generator is located between the sample and the detector; andat least one of the polarization state generators is the polychromatic polarization state generator for selectively transmitting light that has a selected elliptical polarization state with selected ellipticity and the major axis orientation of the polarization ellipses, which is a one-to-one function of wavelength in the selected spectral domain.