Open AccessSingle input state polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography with high resolution and polarization distortion correction
Author(s) -
Qihua Xiong,
Nanshuo Wang,
Xinyu Liu,
Si Chen,
Hongying Liang,
Shufen Chen,
Linbo Liu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.27.006910
Subject(s) - optical coherence tomography , optics , birefringence , polarization (electrochemistry) , materials science , image resolution , physics , chemistry
In single input state polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) with high resolution, the imperfections of quarter-wave plate (QWP) and the sensitivity roll-off mismatch between the two detection channels cause unpredictable polarization distortion. We present a correction method based on the Jones matrix modeling of the system. In a single input PS-OCT system working at 840 nm with an axial resolution of ~2.3 μm, the method yielded better estimation of retardation and optic axis orientation with significantly reduced noise level, especially in weakly birefringent samples. Numerical simulations and quantitative imaging of a sample of known birefringence were performed to validate the performance. We further demonstrate the advantages of our approach with birefringence imaging of swine retina, rat aortic wall, and rat esophageal mucosa for potential clinical applications.