Polarization-Sensitive Module for Optical Coherence Tomography Instruments

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Lee, Po-Yi, Chueh, Chuan-Bor, Shishkov, Milen, Wang, Tai-Ang, Lee, Hsiang-Chieh, Chen, Teresa, Bouma, Brett E., Villiger, Martin
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Lee, Po-Yi
Chueh, Chuan-Bor
Shishkov, Milen
Wang, Tai-Ang
Lee, Hsiang-Chieh
Chen, Teresa
Bouma, Brett E.
Villiger, Martin
author_facet Lee, Po-Yi
Chueh, Chuan-Bor
Shishkov, Milen
Wang, Tai-Ang
Lee, Hsiang-Chieh
Chen, Teresa
Bouma, Brett E.
Villiger, Martin
contents Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) extends OCT by analyzing the polarization states of backscattered light to quantify tissue birefringence. However, conventional implementations require polarization-diverse detection and are therefore incompatible with most commercial OCT systems. As a result, PS-OCT has largely remained restricted to specialized research groups, limiting its broader scientific and clinical use. Here, we present a modular PS-OCT framework that integrates with a standard spectral-domain OCT platform through a detachable rotating achromatic half-wave plate in the sample arm. This waveplate modulates both incident and reflected polarization states. Three or more repeated measurements at distinct waveplate orientations enable reconstruction of the sample's round-trip Jones matrix and the corresponding polarization properties. To mitigate random phase variations between repeated measurements, we introduce a retarder-constrained phase optimization strategy. We validate the framework with imaging of birefringent phantoms and the human retina in vivo, demonstrating reliable reconstruction of retardance and optic axis orientation. This approach requires only minimal hardware modification and is readily deployable on mainstream OCT systems. Lowering technical barriers paves the way for rapid and widespread deployment of PS-OCT across diverse biomedical applications in both research and clinical environments.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_11274
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Polarization-Sensitive Module for Optical Coherence Tomography Instruments
Lee, Po-Yi
Chueh, Chuan-Bor
Shishkov, Milen
Wang, Tai-Ang
Lee, Hsiang-Chieh
Chen, Teresa
Bouma, Brett E.
Villiger, Martin
Optics
Medical Physics
Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) extends OCT by analyzing the polarization states of backscattered light to quantify tissue birefringence. However, conventional implementations require polarization-diverse detection and are therefore incompatible with most commercial OCT systems. As a result, PS-OCT has largely remained restricted to specialized research groups, limiting its broader scientific and clinical use. Here, we present a modular PS-OCT framework that integrates with a standard spectral-domain OCT platform through a detachable rotating achromatic half-wave plate in the sample arm. This waveplate modulates both incident and reflected polarization states. Three or more repeated measurements at distinct waveplate orientations enable reconstruction of the sample's round-trip Jones matrix and the corresponding polarization properties. To mitigate random phase variations between repeated measurements, we introduce a retarder-constrained phase optimization strategy. We validate the framework with imaging of birefringent phantoms and the human retina in vivo, demonstrating reliable reconstruction of retardance and optic axis orientation. This approach requires only minimal hardware modification and is readily deployable on mainstream OCT systems. Lowering technical barriers paves the way for rapid and widespread deployment of PS-OCT across diverse biomedical applications in both research and clinical environments.
title Polarization-Sensitive Module for Optical Coherence Tomography Instruments
topic Optics
Medical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.11274