Full range polarization-sensitive Fourier domain optical coherence tomography.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Optical Coherence Tomography
• Polarization Imaging

Background:

• Conventional time domain OCT (TDOCT) and spectrometer-based FDOCT systems have limitations due to wavelength-dependent input polarization states.
• Accurate characterization of light polarization is crucial for advanced tissue imaging and analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a swept source-based polarization-sensitive Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FDOCT) system.
• To enable the acquisition of Stokes vectors, polarization diversity intensity, and birefringence images in biological tissues.

Main Methods:

• Reconstruction of both amplitude and phase terms of the interference signal.
• Determination of Stokes vectors by processing analytical complex fringe signals from two perpendicular polarization-detection channels.
• Accurate setting of input polarization states, overcoming wavelength dependency issues.

Main Results:

• The developed swept source FDOCT system successfully acquired Stokes vectors and polarization-sensitive images.
• Birefringence and polarization diversity intensity images were obtained from biological tissues.
• The system demonstrated accurate control over input polarization states.

Conclusions:

• The novel swept source FDOCT system provides a robust platform for polarization-sensitive imaging in biological tissues.
• This technology overcomes key limitations of existing OCT systems, enabling more comprehensive tissue characterization.