Wide-field polarization-assisted anisotropic mapping for edge enhancement using linear Mueller matrix holography

Area of Science:

• Optical imaging
• Birefringence analysis
• Polarization optics

Background:

• Mueller matrix polarimetry (MMP) is vital for studying anisotropic, birefringent objects.
• Existing MMP techniques struggle with real-time measurements and lack sample phase information.
• Anisotropy retrieval in MMP is computationally intensive and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel polarization holographic technique for simultaneous measurement of intensity, quantitative phase (QP), and polarization properties.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional MMP, particularly the lack of phase information and slow acquisition speeds.
• To enable fast and cost-efficient Mueller matrix holography for anisotropic sample analysis.

Main Methods:

• Integration of division of focal plane (DoFP) polarimetric sensing and digital holographic microscopy (DHM).
• Acquisition of spatially resolved intensity, quantitative phase, and polarization properties from only four holograms.
• Development of a hybrid approach for Mueller matrix holography.

Main Results:

• Simultaneous measurement of intensity, quantitative phase, and polarization properties achieved.
• Fourfold reduction in data acquisition time compared to conventional MMP methods.
• Observed edge enhancement features directly correlated with sample anisotropy.

Conclusions:

• The proposed technique offers a fast, cost-efficient method for Mueller matrix holography.
• It overcomes key limitations of traditional MMP by providing phase information and reducing acquisition time.
• Potential applications include advanced birefringent microscopy and clinical diagnostics.