Mueller matrix polarimetry for the characterization of complex random medium like biological tissues

The polarization parameters of light scattered from biological tissues contain wealth of morphological and functional information of potential biomedical importance. But, in optically thick turbid media such as tissues, numerous complexities due to multiple scattering and simultaneous occurrences of many polarization events present formidable challenges, in terms of both accurate measurement and unique interpretation of the individual polarimetry characteristics. We have developed and validated an expanded Mueller matrix decomposition approach to overcome this problem. The approach was validated theoretically with a polarization-sensitive Monte Carlo light propagation model and experimentally by recording Mueller matrices from tissue-like complex random medium. In this paper, we discuss our comprehensive turbid polarimetry platform consisting of the experimental polarimetry system, forward Monte Carlo modelling and inverse polar decomposition analysis. Initial biomedical applications of this novel general method for polarimetry analysis in random media are also presented.

[1]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Mueller matrix decomposition for extraction of individual polarization parameters from complex turbid media exhibiting multiple scattering, optical activity, and linear birefringence. , 2008, Journal of biomedical optics.

[2]  Xinxin Guo,et al.  Angular measurements of light scattered by turbid chiral media using linear Stokes polarimeter. , 2006, Journal of biomedical optics.

[3]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Influence of the order of the constituent basis matrices on the Mueller matrix decomposition-derived polarization parameters in complex turbid media such as biological tissues , 2010 .

[4]  T. Milner,et al.  Review of polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography and Stokes vector determination. , 2002, Journal of biomedical optics.

[5]  Y. Sun,et al.  Cardiac remodeling by fibrous tissue after infarction in rats. , 2000, The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine.

[6]  Xinxin Guo,et al.  Polarized light propagation in multiply scattering media exhibiting both linear birefringence and optical activity: Monte Carlo model and experimental methodology. , 2007, Journal of biomedical optics.

[7]  B. Hooper.  Optical-thermal response of laser-irradiated tissue , 1996 .

[8]  R J McNichols,et al.  Optical glucose sensing in biological fluids: an overview. , 2000, Journal of biomedical optics.

[9]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  COMPARISON OF OPTICAL POLARIMETRY AND DIFFUSION TENSOR MR IMAGING FOR ASSESSING MYOCARDIAL ANISOTROPY , 2010 .

[10]  M J Everett,et al.  Mapping of Birefringence and Thermal Damage in Tissue by use of Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography. , 1998, Applied optics.

[11]  C. Brosseau.  Fundamentals of Polarized Light: A Statistical Optics Approach , 1998 .

[12]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Polarimetry-based method to extract geometry-independent metrics of tissue anisotropy. , 2010, Optics letters.

[13]  A. de Martino,et al.  Forward and reverse product decompositions of depolarizing Mueller matrices. , 2007, Optics letters.

[14]  W. Steen.  Absorption and Scattering of Light by Small Particles , 1999 .

[15]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Proof-of-principle demonstration of a Mueller matrix decomposition method for polarized light tissue characterization in vivo. , 2009, Journal of biomedical optics.

[16]  Z. Kam,et al.  Absorption and Scattering of Light by Small Particles , 1998 .

[17]  M. K. Swami,et al.  Mueller matrix approach for determination of optical rotation in chiral turbid media in backscattering geometry. , 2006, Optics express.

[18]  Jérôme Morio,et al.  Influence of the order of diattenuator, retarder, and polarizer in polar decomposition of Mueller matrices. , 2004, Optics letters.

[19]  Michael Bass,et al.  Handbook of optics , 1995 .

[20]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Mueller matrix decomposition for polarized light assessment of biological tissues , 2009, Journal of biophotonics.

[21]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Polarized Light Assessment of Complex Turbid Media Such as Biological Tissues Using Mueller Matrix Decomposition , 2010 .

[22]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Polarization birefringence measurements for characterizing the myocardium, including healthy, infarcted, and stem-cell-regenerated tissues. , 2010, Journal of biomedical optics.

[23]  B. Wilson,et al.  In Vivo Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Imaging for Oncological Applications , 1998, Photochemistry and photobiology.

[24]  Nirmalya Ghosh,et al.  Polarimetry in turbid, birefringent, optically active media: A Monte Carlo study of Mueller matrix decomposition in the backscattering geometry , 2009 .

[25]  G. G. Stokes.  "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[26]  Valery V. Tuchin,et al.  Handbook of Photonics for Biomedical Science , 2010 .

[27]  Steven L. Jacques,et al.  Special Section Guest Editorial: Tissue Polarimetry , 1999 .

[28]  D. Côté,et al.  Robust concentration determination of optically active molecules in turbid media with validated three-dimensional polarization sensitive Monte Carlo calculations. , 2005, Optics express.

[29]  R. Chipman,et al.  Interpretation of Mueller matrices based on polar decomposition , 1996 .

[30]  Andrew G. Glen,et al.  APPL , 2001 .