Polarization-based microscopy using a fiber optic spectral polarimeter

We present a fiber optic spectral polarimeter, an instrument that allows measurement of the spectrally resolved Stokes parameters. The instrument consists of a pair of polarization maintaining (PM) fibers spliced at 45 degree(s) with respect to each other in line with a polarizer module whose transmission axis is aligned to the fast axis of the first PM fiber. The generated spectrum is composed of three quasi- cosinusoidal components, which carry information required to reconstruct the spectrally resolved Stokes parameters of incident light. Fourier transform of the measured spectrum provides the significant parameters for determination of the spectrally resolved Stokes parameters of light. The performance of the fiber optic spectral polarimeter is demonstrated by the computer simulation and experiments with input light of known polarization states. A unique characteristic of this instrument is that the spectrally resolved polarization state of incident light can be determined from one spectral measurement without any mechanical movement. Moreover, the instrument can be incorporated into a tomographic imaging system such as a conventional microscopy system. Polarization based microscopy combined with a fiber optic spectral polarimeter will provide measurements that allow better understanding of depolarization process of light passing through biological materials for diagnostic imaging.

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