Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT)01:15

Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT)

Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (INEPT) is an advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technique specifically designed to detect and enhance the signals of low-abundance nuclei, such as carbon-13 and nitrogen-15, in small molecules. The fundamental principle behind INEPT is the transfer of polarization from a more abundant and highly polarizable nucleus, typically hydrogen-1, to the low-abundance nucleus of interest. This process effectively boosts the NMR signal of the...
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy01:26

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase-Contrast Microscopes
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A longitudinal evaluation of a communication skills programme.

Palliative medicine·2000
Same author

Redesign and genetic dissection of the rhabdoviruses.

Advances in virus research·1999
Same author

Portal vein embolism.

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·1999
Same author

Liver function tests and glucose and lipid metabolism in growth-restricted fetuses.

Obstetrics and gynecology·1999
Same author

A comparison of three risk assessment scales.

Professional nurse (London, England)·1999
Same author

Administration of low-dose aspirin to mothers with small for gestational age fetuses and abnormal umbilical Doppler studies to increase birthweight: a randomised double-blind controlled trial.

British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology·1999

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Polarization-Sensitive Two-Photon Microscopy for a Label-Free Amyloid Structural Characterization
05:54

Polarization-Sensitive Two-Photon Microscopy for a Label-Free Amyloid Structural Characterization

Published on: September 8, 2023

Orientation independent retardation imaging using quantitative polarized phase microscopy.

N M Dragomir1, A Roberts

  • 1School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Victoria University, Melbourne 8001, Australia. nicoleta.dragomir@vu.edu.au

Microscopy Research and Technique
|June 1, 2012
PubMed
Summary

This study presents a new method for measuring optical phase and retardation in birefringent materials without needing to know the optic axis orientation beforehand. This technique allows for stain-free, orientation-independent characterization using a standard microscope.

More Related Videos

Quantitative Optical Microscopy: Measurement of Cellular Biophysical Features with a Standard Optical Microscope
14:09

Quantitative Optical Microscopy: Measurement of Cellular Biophysical Features with a Standard Optical Microscope

Published on: April 7, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Polarization-Sensitive Two-Photon Microscopy for a Label-Free Amyloid Structural Characterization
05:54

Polarization-Sensitive Two-Photon Microscopy for a Label-Free Amyloid Structural Characterization

Published on: September 8, 2023

Quantitative Optical Microscopy: Measurement of Cellular Biophysical Features with a Standard Optical Microscope
14:09

Quantitative Optical Microscopy: Measurement of Cellular Biophysical Features with a Standard Optical Microscope

Published on: April 7, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Optical Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Microscopy

Background:

  • Birefringent materials exhibit optical anisotropy, making their characterization crucial in various scientific fields.
  • Traditional polarimetric measurements often require prior knowledge of the optic axis or complex optical setups.
  • Accurate and independent measurement of optical phase and retardation is essential for understanding material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel method for simultaneous optical phase and retardation measurement.
  • To achieve orientation-independent characterization of birefringent specimens.
  • To enable stain-free retardation analysis without specialized optical components.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a bright field transmission microscope with polarized light.
  • Recording transverse phase images at a minimum of three different polarization orientations.
  • Employing a single polarizer without additional optical elements.

Main Results:

  • Successfully demonstrated simultaneous measurement of optical phase and retardation.
  • Uniquely determined the two-dimensional retardation distribution, including magnitude and fast axis orientation.
  • Achieved orientation-independent characterization, independent of a priori knowledge of the optic axis.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed approach offers a simplified and effective method for birefringent material characterization.
  • This technique facilitates stain-free, phase, and orientation-independent retardation analysis.
  • Opens new possibilities for advanced polarimetric measurements in microscopy.