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Single‐Shot Optical Anisotropy Imaging with Quantitative Polarization Interference Microscopy
Author(s) -
Ge Baoliang,
Zhou Renjie,
Takiguchi Yu,
Yaqoob Zahid,
So Peter T. C.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
laser and photonics reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.778
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1863-8899
pISSN - 1863-8880
DOI - 10.1002/lpor.201800070
Subject(s) - birefringence , optics , anisotropy , materials science , polarization (electrochemistry) , interference microscopy , microscopy , mueller calculus , polarized light microscopy , optical axis , liquid crystal , single shot , interference (communication) , microscope , optical microscope , polarimetry , physics , computer science , scattering , scanning electron microscope , chemistry , channel (broadcasting) , lens (geology) , computer network
Optical anisotropy measurement is essential for material characterization and biological imaging. In order to achieve single‐shot mapping of the birefringence parameters of anisotropic samples, a novel polarized light imaging concept is proposed, namely quantitative polarization interference microscopy (QPIM). QPIM can be realized through designing a compact polarization‐resolved interference microscopy system that captures interferograms bearing sample's linear birefringence information. To extract the retardance and the orientation angle maps from a single‐shot measurement, a mathematical model for QPIM is further developed. The QPIM system is validated by measuring a calibrated quarter‐wave plate, whose fast‐axis orientation angle and retardance are determined with great accuracies. The single‐shot nature of QPIM further allows to measure the transient dynamics of birefringence changes in material containing anisotropic structures. This application is demonstrated by capturing transient retardance changes in a custom‐designed parallel‐aligned nematic liquid crystal‐based device.