Polarimetric Signature Imaging of Anisotropic Bio-Medical Tissues

Polarimetric imaging of Stokes vector (I, Q, U, V) can provide independent signatures of polarization and depolarization of biological tissues and cells. Using a Stokes digital imaging system, we measured the Stokes vector images of tissue samples from sections of rat livers. The derived Mueller matrix elements can quantitatively provide five-signature (m01, m11, m22, m23 and m33) imaging data for the bio-sample. The images of four independent optical properties: linear-dichroic polarization, depolarization, cross-polarized depolarization and phase retardation of the test sample are then derived. The probability distribution for these parameters can also be obtained from the imaging data. Based upon the anisotropic orientation distribution of ellipsoid model bio-molecules, five matrix elements, m01, m11, m22, m23 and m33 were simulated to obtain the estimated optical properties to compare with those measured properties of the sample. This polarimetric multi-signature optical technology is a new option of biosensing technology to inspect the structures of tissue samples and is useful for critical disease discrimination and medical diagnostics applications.