Direct polarization imaging of turbid tissues with cw laser source: potentialities and restrictions

Technique of polarization imaging of multiple scattering tissues which contain the embedded large-scale inhomogeneous is discussed. This method is based on the measurements of the spatial distribution of the polarization degree of light scattered by tissue under study. Analysis of the influence of tissue scattering properties and geometry of experiment on the contrast and spatial resolution of reconstructed images by using the concept of optical paths distribution for partial components of scattered field is made. Interrelation between forms of spatial distributions of polarization degree and intensity distributions is discussed on the basis of theoretical analysis and experimental results obtained with model objects. Possibilities of the increase of contrast of reconstructed image as well as the restrictions of this technique are discussed.