Phase-resolved polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography imaging of tendon and muscle

Abstract

We describe a phase-resolved polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography system that can obtain the Stokes vectors, polarization diversity intensity, and birefringence images of rat-tail tendon and muscle. The Stokes vectors were obtained by processing the analytical interference fringe signals from two perpendicular polarization-detection channels for the same reference polarization state. From the four Stokes vectors, the birefringence image, which is insensitive to orientation of the optical axis in the sample, and the polarization diversity intensity image, in which speckle noise is greatly reduced, were obtained. The birefringence changes in the rat muscle caused by freezing were investigated using phase-resolved polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography. It was found that freezing degrades birefringence in rat muscle.