Measurement of optical rotation and phase retardance of optical samples with depolarization effects using linearly and circularly polarized probe lights

This paper presents an experimental technique for measuring the optical rotation, depolarization, and phase retardance of optical samples. In the proposed approach, the optical properties of the sample are derived using a Stokes–Mueller matrix formalism in conjunction with linearly and circularly polarized probe lights. For a compound sample comprising a half-wave plate positioned in front of glucose solutions with concentrations ranging from 0 to 1.2 g/dl, the average normalized error in the measured rotation angle is determined to be 3.11% when using a linearly polarized light. The average surviving linear and circular polarization fractions of the glucose solutions are determined to be 1.0252 and 0.9945. The average normalized error in the measured retardance of the half-wave plate is 3.45%. When measuring a compound sample comprising a half-wave plate positioned in front of the scattered glucose solutions with turbidities from 0% to 50% by the addition of milk, experimental results show that the induced rotation angle increased as the turbidity increased, whereas both surviving linear and circular polarization fractions decreased as the turbidity increased. The effect of the turbidity on rotation angle is more significant than that on both surviving linear and circular polarization fractions. The average normalized error in the measured retardance of the half-wave plate is 1.43%. Consequently, a simplified geometry of the polarimeter is proposed to independently estimate the rotation angle, surviving linear and circular polarization fractions, and retardance from the derived viable algorithm.     

Mueller matrix-based optimization of reflective type twisted nematic liquid crystal SLM at oblique incidences

Mueller matrix measurements were used to characterize the polarization properties of liquid crystal-based reflective type twisted nematic (TN) special light modulator (SLM) at oblique incidence of the laser beam. The experimentally obtained Mueller matrices were used to obtain the combination of polarization optics required to optimize it for phase only modulation. The results indicate that minimum intensity modulation is obtained with the use of a polarizer followed by a quarter wave plate (QWP) in polarization state generator (PSG) arm and a QWP followed by an analyzer in polarization state analyzer arm (PSA). Polarization parameters such as retardance, rotation and depolarization were calculated from the experimentally obtained Mueller matrices using polar decomposition method at different angle of incidences of the laser beam and the results has been discussed. The similarity between retardance and depolarization curve as a function of address voltage of TNSLM indicated that depolarization is mainly associated with errors in retardance values. Further, spectral Mueller matrix measurements were used to obtain intensity modulation response in the range of wavelengths 450-700 nm for broadband applications.     

Spectroscopic Mueller matrix polarimeter using four-channeled spectra

A Mueller matrix polarimeter acquired for four-channeled spectra is proposed. Both the polarizing and analyzing optics of this system consist of a linear polarizer and a high-order retarder. The polarizing elements can modulate the polarization states in the wavenumber space. By applying a Fourier transform method to a single-channeled spectrum, nine elements of the Mueller matrix can be deconvoluted without modifying the configuration of either the polarizing or analyzing optics. It is thus possible to determine the wavelength dependence of all the Mueller matrix elements from four-channeled spectra obtained using four different configurations for the polarizing and analyzing optics. The performance of this method is evaluated by measuring polarization properties, such as retardance, azimuthal angle, and linear diattenuation, from the obtained Mueller matrix in wavenumber space.     

Effective dichroism in forward scattering by inhomogeneous birefringent medium

The Mueller matrix model for inhomogeneous medium characterized by simultaneous linear and circular birefringence for single scattering in the forward direction is derived. We find that the presence of inhomogeneity results in the occurrence of new polarization effects. In particular, forward scattering by inhomogeneous birefringent medium exhibits linear and circular dichroism. We show that in the case of weak depolarization (when Cloude's entropy is less than 0.5), the initial parameters for linear and circular birefringence can be obtained from deterministic Mueller matrix associated with the largest eigenvalue of Cloude's coherency matrix. Sample calculations are given for quartz.     

Optical diagnosis of dengue virus infected human blood using Mueller matrix polarimetry

Currently dengue fever diagnosis methods include capture ELISAs, immunofluorescence tests, and hemagglutination assays. In this study optical diagnosis of dengue virus infection in the whole blood is presented utilizing Mueller matrix polarimetry. Mueller matrices of about 50 dengue viral infected and 25 non-dengue healthy blood samples were recorded utilizing light source from 500 to 700 nm with scanning step of 10 nm. Polar decomposition of the Mueller matrices for all the blood samples was performed that yielded polarization properties including depolarization, diattenuation, degree of polarization, retardance and optical activity, out of which, depolarization index clusters up the diseased and healthy in to different separate groups. The average depolarized light in the case of dengue infection in the whole blood at 500 nm is 18%, whereas for the healthy blood samples it is 13.5%. This suggests that depolarization index of polarized light at the wavelengths of 500, 510, 520, 530 and 540 nm, we find that in case of depolarization index values are higher for dengue viral infection as compared to normal samples. This technique can effectively be used for the characterization of the dengue virus infected at an early stage of disease.     

激光遥感偏振成像系统光学元件调整及误差分析

改进了利用双旋转波片方法进行偏振成像的实验装置,提出了通过一次测量获得目标偏振度和强度编码图像的方法.运用光强法对激光遥感偏振成像装置的光学元件进行调整,通过斯托克斯和穆勒矩阵在偏振光学元件中的应用,给出了相应光学元件的调整原理、方法及过程.分析了激光器中心波长变动、偏振片的角度误差和波片的相位延迟及角度误差对整个系统的影响.结果表明,由偏振片角度和波片角度误差造成的出射光斯托克斯误差较小,不超过0.001,可以忽略;由波片相位延迟不精确造成的误差在0.02左右,所以应采用延迟精度较高的波片;激光器中心波长变化的影响最大,不能忽略,必须加滤光片使接收光的中心波长控制在808nm;镀有铝膜望远镜对接收到的散射光偏振度影响较小,适于激光遥感偏振成像系统的应用.     

Matrix-Based Polarization Analysis and Application of Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

Employing the Mueller matrix method with polar decomposition, we analyse the polarization rotation (PR) effects in semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) and demonstrate that the PR angle is linear to the birefringence dependent gain while the average PR coefficient is about 0.625 for the employed SOA. It is further evident that the current and optical intensity dependent PRs rotate reversely around the same axis. Thus we propose an optical-electric synchronous control scheme to obtain orthogonal polarization states with power-equalization, and implement it by a polarization-sensitive SOA. The polarization duration time is about 10 ns which is applicable to high-speed polarization state generation.     

Mueller-Stokes polarimetric characterization of transmissive liquid crystal spatial light modulator

In the twisted nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulators (TN-LCSLM), distortion of uniform twist and decrease in tilt angle of liquid crystal molecules on application of an electric field lead to amplitude and phase modulations of the transmitted or reflected wavefront, respectively. The amplitude and phase modulation characterization of TN-LCSLM using Jones calculi is simple and extensively used but does not give any information about important polarimetric parameters such as diattenuation and depolarizance. On the other hand, the characterization using Mueller calculi provides all information in terms of polarimetric properties such as diattenuation, retardance (birefringence) and depolarization. In this paper, polarimetric properties of the transmissive TN-LCSLM (HOLOEYE LC2002) are characterized measuring 17 different Mueller matrices at different addressed gray scale through Mueller Matrix Imaging Polarimeter (MMIP) at 530 nm wavelength. Lu-Chipman polar decomposition for Mueller matrix is utilized to separate out three independent Mueller matrices for diattenuation, depolarization and retardance as a function of addressed gray scale. Further, Mueller-Stokes combined formulation is used to examine the effect of depolarization present in the TN-LCSLM on six different states of polarization and evaluation of eigenpolarization states for the TN-LCSLM has been presented.     

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

The influence of the multiplication order of the constituent basis matrices on the Mueller matrix decomposition-derived polarization parameters in complex tissue-like turbid media exhibiting simultaneous scattering and polarization effects are investigated. A polarization sensitive Monte Carlo (MC) simulation model was used to generate Mueller matrices from turbid media exhibiting simultaneous linear birefringence, optical activity and multiple scattering effects. Mueller matrix decomposition was performed with different selected multiplication orders of the constituent basis matrices, which were further analyzed to derive quantitative individual polarization medium properties. The results show that for turbid medium having weak diattenuation (differential attenuation of two orthogonal polarization states), the decomposition-derived polarization parameters are independent of the multiplication order. Importantly, the values for the extracted polarization parameters were found to be in excellent agreement with the controlled inputs, showing self-consistency in inverse decomposition analysis and successful decoupling of the individual polarization effects. These results were corroborated further by selected experimental results from phantoms having optical (scattering and polarization) properties similar to those used in the MC model. Results from tissue polarimetry confirm that the magnitude of diattenuation is generally lower compared to other polarization effects, so that the demonstrated self-consistency of the decomposition formalism with respect to the potential ambiguity of ordering of the constituent matrices should hold in biological applications.     

Hybrid complete Mueller polarimeter based on phase modulators

Optical properties of matter as diattenuation, retardance and depolarization can be evaluated using polarimetric techniques. In this paper, the analysis and implementation of a complete Mueller polarimeter is presented. The system is constituted of a polarization state generator (PSG) and a polarization state analyzer (PSA), which are controlled and synchronized through a computer program. The PSG comprises a dual liquid crystal variable retarder system while the PSA is based on a two-photoelastic modulator setup. Using air and common polarizing optics as test samples for calibration at 633 nm, the hybrid instrument met a good precision when the Mueller matrices of those optical elements were measured.     

Theoretical analysis of backscattered polarization patterns of turbid media containing glucose

Single scattering model and Stokes-Mueller formalism are introduced to investigate the influence of glucose on backscattered polarization patterns in turbid media. Glucose molecules rotate the polarization plane and induce changes in backscattered Mueller matrix patterns. Some Mueller matrix elements present higher optical rotation as the concentration of glucose augments. Using image subtraction and integration,linear relationship between low glucose concentration in the physiological range and optical rotation degree can be derived.     

Concurrent measurement of linear birefringence and dichroism in ferrofluids using rotating-wave-plate Stokes polarimeter

In this study, an optical scheme based on Stokes–Mueller Formalism and rotating-wave-plate Stokes polarimeter is successfully developed for obtaining concurrent measurements of the linear birefringence and dichroism. For a quarter-wave plate sample, the measured values of the principal axis angle and retardance are found to have average absolute and normalized errors of 0.0859° and 0.76%, respectively, while the measured dichroism of the quarter-wave plate has an average value of 0.0203. When analyzing ferrofluid film samples with concentrations ranging from 2 to 6%, it was found that for a given concentration of ferrofluid, retardance increases with applied magnetic fields and tends to saturate at high levels. Additionally, under the condition of the same magnetic field, the experimental results show that retardance is proportional to the concentration; the higher concentration will result in more retardance and absorption. Consequently, the derived algorithm for concurrent measurements of the linear birefringence and dichroism is feasible, and the relation between the concentration and magneto-optical effect was successfully investigated.     

Optical-fiber-based Mueller optical coherence tomography

An optical-fiber-based multichannel polarization-sensitive Mueller optical coherence tomography (OCT) system was built to acquire the Jones or Mueller matrix of a scattering medium, such as biological tissue. For the first time to our knowledge, fiber-based polarization-sensitive OCT was dynamically calibrated to eliminate the polarization distortion caused by the single-mode optical fiber in the sample arm, thereby overcoming a key technical impediment to the application of optical fibers in this technology. The round-trip Jones matrix of the sampling fiber was acquired from the reflecting surface of the sample for each depth scan (A scan) with our OCT system. A new rigorous algorithm was then used to retrieve the calibrated polarization properties of the sample. This algorithm was validated with experimental data. The skin of a rat was imaged with this fiber-based system.     

Use of Dirac matrices in polarization optics

Several matrix methods have been developed for studying polarization properties of light. Jones was the first to apply the matrix method to the study of polarization optics. In Jones matrix formalism the polarized wave field is represented by 2-element column matrix known as Jones Vector and the polarization device encountered by light is represented by a 2×2 matrix, known as the characteristic Jones matrix of the device. Mueller introduced a new matrix method where the wave field is represented by a 4-dimensional vector. The elements of the vector are the Stokes parameters of the beam. In Mueller matrix formalism the optical device is represented by a 4×4 real matrix known as ‘Mueller Matrix’ of the device. The use of coherency matrix also proves to the useful in the study of partially polarized light. Pauli spin matrices have been used to unify the different matrix treatments of polarization optical phenomena. The present article is an attempt to unify the analysis of polarization phenomena using Dirac matrices used by Dirac in quantum mechanics. We have however redefined the set of Dirac matrices in terms of the Kronecher product of Pauli spin matrices.     

Maximum-likelihood estimation of Mueller matrices

We show that the method of maximum-likelihood estimation, recently introduced in the context of quantum process tomography, can be applied to the determination of Mueller matrices characterizing the polarization properties of classical optical systems. Contrary to linear reconstruction algorithms, the proposed method yields physically acceptable Mueller matrices even in the presence of uncontrolled experimental errors. We illustrate our method with the case of an unphysical measured Mueller matrix taken from the literature.     

The multielectron dissociative ionization dynamics of N2 molecule in intense femtosecond laser fields with arbitrary polarization

The field-ionization Coulomb explosion model is extended to investigate the multielectron dissociative ionization process of N₂ molecule irradiated by an intense femtosecond laser field with an arbitrary polarization. The ionization process of N₂ molecule is found to be optimal at the critical internuclear distance R_c=7a.u., which is independent of the laser polarization state, the molecular explosion channel and the angle between the molecular axis and the direction of laser electric field. The kinetic energies of the ion fragments are identical in the cases of linear and circular polarizations at the same incident laser intensity. However,the probability of electron ionization is very sensitive to the above three parameters. At the critical distance R_c=7a.u. the angular dependence of the threshold intensity for the over-the-barrier ionization leads to the geometric alignment of molecules in the case of linear polarization. The threshold intensity in the case of circular polarization is apparently higher than that in the case of linear polarization, which can well explain the significant decrease of ionization in the case of circular polarization. The numerical calculations are compared with the experimental measurements.     

Two-dimensional depth-resolved Mueller matrix characterization of biological tissue by optical coherence tomography

We built a polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomographic system and measured the two-dimensional depth-resolved full 4 x 4 Mueller matrix of biological tissue for what is believed to be the first time. The Mueller matrix measurements, which we made by varying the polarization states of the light source and the detector, yielded a complete characterization of the polarization property of the tissue sample. The initial experimental results indicated that this new approach reveals some tissue structures that are not perceptible in standard optical coherence tomography.     

手性介质中后向散射米勒矩阵特性及其在血糖无创检测中的应用初探

利用斯托克斯-米勒矩阵表述分析偏振光在手性介质中的传输规律,利用瑞利近似下的单次散射模型和基于米氏散射理论的多次散射的蒙特卡罗方法,探讨葡萄糖对后向散射偏振光传输特性的影响,计算了不同葡萄糖浓度下的后向散射米勒矩阵. 结果表明在含有葡萄糖的手性介质中后向散射米勒矩阵的若干矩阵元表现出微弱的旋光效应,旋光度随葡萄糖浓度增大而增大. 为了检测低浓度下微小的旋光变化,定义了函数对含-不含葡萄糖的米勒矩阵元图像进行处理,提取由葡萄糖引入的图像差异. 结合无创血糖检测应用要求,分析了葡萄糖生理浓度下的矩阵元图像,获 关键词： 医用光学与生物技术 偏振光 斯托克斯-米勒表述 蒙特卡罗模拟     

混浊介质中线偏振光和圆偏振光的后向漫散射特征

以标准的组织模型Intralipid脂肪乳溶液为研究对象,采用CCD偏振成像系统,通过测量该混浊介质的后向漫散射光的斯托克斯矢量,深入研究了不同方位的线偏振光及不同旋向的圆偏振光入射时,后向漫散射光的特征.研究结果表明：对不同的入射偏振态,后向漫散射强度、偏振度的空间分布具有方位选择性,强度和偏振度的大小随距离入射点的距离增加而减小;介质浓度增加,后向散射强度增加,偏振度减小,且同一浓度下,圆偏振光的偏振度总是高于线偏振光.     

Influence of polarization of laser beam on emission intensity of femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) is an important technique which is widely used to analyze element composition. In order to improve the sensitivity of LIBS, much effort has been made to enhance the spectral intensity of LIBS by proposing a number of methods. In addition, we find that laser polarization has great influence on the emission intensity of femtosecond LIBS. By comparing the emission intensity of femtosecond LIBS in the circular polarization with that in the linear polarization, the spectral intensity in the case of circular polarization is stronger than that in the case of linear polarization. Moreover, this phenomenon is more obvious as laser energy increases. The polarization plays an important role in LIBS signal intensity. Based on the observation, the enhanced mechanism of the laser polarization for the spectral intensity is discussed in this paper, which will be helpful in spectral analysis and component analysis.