Stokes polarimetry for the characterization of bio-materials using liquid crystal variable retarders

Abstract

We demonstrate significant differences in the propagation of polarized laser light through biological tissue phantom. The Stokes vectors along with degree of linearly and circularly polarized light were measured with stokes polarimetry techniques. The measurements were performed on dense and diluted tissue phantoms that consisted of soybean oil interloped. Liquid crystal variable retarder (LCVR) Stokes polarimeter is used for either rotating the major axis of elliptically polarized light or for converting an input linearly polarized beam into an arbitrary elliptically polarized beam. This system makes possible a direct measurement of a component of the Stokes vector with phase change detection of polarization modulation for polarimetric measurements of turbid media and biological tissue.