Fiber-optic device for endoscopic polarization imaging.

Polarization images were obtained using a flexible optical fiber device. The endoscopic technique is based on the real-time compensation of the birefringence of the standard fiber by means of a miniaturized Faraday rotator. Based on a Jones formalism analysis, specific signal processing allows one to extract both the phase retardation and the degree of polarization of the light backscattered by a remote target.