Dual-shot polarization digital holographic microscopy with phase bias equalization for full-field Jones matrix...

Area of Science:

• Optical Microscopy
• Birefringence Imaging
• Polarization Optics

Background:

• Polarization digital holographic microscopy (PDHM) offers noninvasive, quantitative birefringence mapping using Jones matrix analysis.
• Conventional PDHM methods suffer from phase drift due to sequential acquisitions, while single-shot variants are optically complex and sensitive to alignment.
• There is a need for PDHM techniques that are simple, robust, and provide quantitative polarization information efficiently.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a simplified dual-shot PDHM system for rapid full-field Jones matrix reconstruction.
• To address phase drift issues in PDHM through a novel phase bias equalization technique.
• To demonstrate the system's capability for quantitative birefringence imaging and visualization of anisotropic microstructures.

Main Methods:

• A dual-shot PDHM approach acquiring two holograms with orthogonal incident polarizations using a motorized half-wave plate.
• Utilizing a polarization-sensitive CMOS camera to record off-axis holograms with embedded analyzer channels.
• Implementing phase bias equalization with isotropic reference regions to correct inter-shot phase drift.

Main Results:

• Successful reconstruction of full-field Jones matrices from dual-shot hologram acquisitions.
• Generation of accurate retardance and fast axis maps for biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films.
• Demonstrated robust visualization of anisotropic microstructures in biological samples, including mouse brain sections and human cornea.

Conclusions:

• The proposed dual-shot PDHM method offers a balance of speed, hardware simplicity, and quantitative performance.
• Phase bias equalization effectively suppresses inter-shot phase drift, enhancing measurement accuracy.
• This technique provides an accessible platform for polarization-sensitive biomedical imaging and full-field Jones matrix microscopy.