Polarization-insensitive optical coherence tomography using pseudo-depolarized reference light for mitigating birefringence-related image artifacts

Maria Varaka; Conrad W. Merkle; Lucas May; Sybren Worm; Marco Augustin; Félix Fanjul-Vélez; Hsiang-Chieh Lee; Adelheid Wöhrer; Martin Glösmann; Bernhard Baumann

doi:10.1117/1.JBO.29.11.116001

4 November 2024 Polarization-insensitive optical coherence tomography using pseudo-depolarized reference light for mitigating birefringence-related image artifacts

Maria Varaka, Conrad W. Merkle, Lucas May, Sybren Worm, Marco Augustin, Félix Fanjul-Vélez, Hsiang-Chieh Lee, Adelheid Wöhrer, Martin Glösmann, Bernhard Baumann

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Biomedical Optics, Vol. 29, Issue 11, 116001 (November 2024). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.29.11.116001

Abstract

Significance

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images are prone to image artifacts due to the birefringence of the sample or the optical system when a polarized light source is used for imaging. These artifacts can lead to degraded image quality and diagnostic information.

Aim

We aim to mitigate these birefringence-related artifacts in OCT images by adding a depolarizer module in the reference arm of the interferometer.

Approach

We investigated different configurations of liquid crystal patterned retarders as pseudo-depolarizers in the reference arm of OCT setups. We identified the most effective depolarization module layout for polarization artifact suppression for a spectral-domain OCT system based on a Michelson and a Mach–Zehnder interferometer.

Results

The performance of our approach was demonstrated in an achromatic quarter-wave plate allowing the selection of a variety of sample polarization states. A substantial improvement of the OCT signal magnitude was observed after placing the optimal depolarizer configuration, reducing the cross-polarization artifact from 5.7 to 1.8 dB and from 8.0 to 1.0 dB below the co-polarized signal for the fiber-based Michelson and Mach–Zehnder setup, respectively. An imaging experiment in the birefringent scleral tissue of a post-mortem alpine marmot eye and a mouse tail specimen further showcased a significant improvement in the detected signal intensity and an enhanced OCT image quality followed by a drastic elimination of the birefringence-related artifacts.

Conclusions

Our study presents a simple yet cost-effective technique to mitigate birefringence-related artifacts in OCT imaging. This method can be readily implemented in existing OCT technology and improve the effectiveness of various OCT imaging applications in biomedicine.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

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Maria Varaka, Conrad W. Merkle, Lucas May, Sybren Worm, Marco Augustin, Félix Fanjul-Vélez, Hsiang-Chieh Lee, Adelheid Wöhrer, Martin Glösmann, and Bernhard Baumann "Polarization-insensitive optical coherence tomography using pseudo-depolarized reference light for mitigating birefringence-related image artifacts," Journal of Biomedical Optics 29(11), 116001 (4 November 2024). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.29.11.116001

Received: 8 May 2024; Accepted: 16 September 2024; Published: 4 November 2024

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KEYWORDS

Optical coherence tomography

Depolarization

Polarization

Tissues

Birefringence

Interferometers

Michelson interferometers

Significance

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Approach

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