Polarimetry in turbid, birefringent, optically active media: A Monte Carlo study of Mueller matrix decomposition in the backscattering geometry
- 15 May 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Applied Physics
- Vol. 105 (10), 102023
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3116129
Abstract
Determination of the intrinsic polarization properties of a complex turbid medium such as biological tissue in the backscattering geometry (a geometry that is convenient for in situ applications) is complicated due to the confounding influence of scattering, and due to simultaneous occurrence of several polarization effects. We have investigated the polar decomposition approach of Mueller matrices to delineate individual intrinsic polarization parameters (specifically linear retardance δ and optical rotation ψ ) of a birefringent, chiral, turbid medium in the backscattering geometry, using Mueller matrices generated with polarization-sensitive Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that near the exact backscattering direction, the interplay of the scattering-induced linear retardance and diattenuation on the intrinsic values for δ and ψ is coupled in a complex interrelated way, due to contribution of the backscatteredphotons. In contrast, these effects were significantly reduced for detection positions at distances larger than a transport length away from the point of illumination. Simultaneous determination of the intrinsic values for δ and ψ of a birefringent, chiral, turbid medium in the backward detection geometry can thus be accomplished by decomposing the Mueller matrices recorded at distances larger than a transport length away from the point of illumination. Determination of the intrinsic values for these polarization parameters in backscattering geometry could be significant in, for example, for quantification of tissue structural anisotropy and for noninvasive blood glucose measurements of diabetic patients.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Monte Carlo study of penetration depth and sampling volume of polarized light in turbid mediaOptics Communications, 2008
- Mueller matrix decomposition for extraction of individual polarization parameters from complex turbid media exhibiting multiple scattering, optical activity, and linear birefringenceJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2008
- Polarized light propagation in multiply scattering media exhibiting both linear birefringence and optical activity: Monte Carlo model and experimental methodologyJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2007
- Stokes polarimetry imaging of rat tail tissue in a turbid medium: degree of linear polarization image maps using incident linearly polarized lightJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2006
- Angular measurements of light scattered by turbid chiral media using linear Stokes polarimeterJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2006
- Dual-wavelength polarimetry for monitoring glucose in the presence of varying birefringenceJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2005
- New optical scheme for a polarimetric-based glucose sensorJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2004
- Balanced detection for low-noise precision polarimetric measurements of optically active, multiply scattering tissue phantomsJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2004
- Special Section Guest EditorialJournal of Biomedical Optics, 2002
- Influence of the relative refractive index on the depolarization of multiply scattered wavesPhysical Review E, 2001