Orientation independent retardation imaging using quantitative polarized phase microscopy

Simultaneous optical phase and retardation measurement of a birefringent specimen is demonstrated independently of a priori knowledge of the optic axis orientation. The two‐dimensional retardation distribution in both magnitude and angle of the fast axis orientation is uniquely determined from trans...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microscopy research and technique 2012-10, Vol.75 (10), p.1416-1419
Main Authors: Dragomir, N.M., Roberts, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
birefringence
fiber optics imaging
phase imaging
polarization
polarized light microscopy (PLI)
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Summary:Simultaneous optical phase and retardation measurement of a birefringent specimen is demonstrated independently of a priori knowledge of the optic axis orientation. The two‐dimensional retardation distribution in both magnitude and angle of the fast axis orientation is uniquely determined from transverse phase images recorded with a bright field transmission microscope using light polarized at a minimum of three different polarization orientations. This approach opens a new possibility for stain‐free phase and orientation‐independent retardation characterization of samples using only one polarizer without needing other additional optical elements traditionally used in polarimetric measurements. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ISSN:1059-910X
1097-0029
DOI:10.1002/jemt.22082