Polarization-Sensitive Module for Optical Coherence Tomography Instruments

TL;DR

This paper introduces a modular, hardware-minimal polarization-sensitive OCT framework that enables standard OCT systems to measure tissue birefringence, broadening its clinical and research applications.

Contribution

A novel, detachable waveplate-based PS-OCT module compatible with existing OCT systems, facilitating polarization measurements without extensive hardware changes.

Findings

Successfully imaged birefringent phantoms and human retina in vivo

Accurately reconstructed tissue retardance and optic axis orientation

Demonstrated broad applicability with minimal hardware modifications

Abstract

Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) extends OCT by analyzing the polarization states of backscattered light to quantify tissue birefringence. However, conventional implementations require polarization-diverse detection and are therefore incompatible with most commercial OCT systems. As a result, PS-OCT has largely remained restricted to specialized research groups, limiting its broader scientific and clinical use. Here, we present a modular PS-OCT framework that integrates with a standard spectral-domain OCT platform through a detachable rotating achromatic half-wave plate in the sample arm. This waveplate modulates both incident and reflected polarization states. Three or more repeated measurements at distinct waveplate orientations enable reconstruction of the sample's round-trip Jones matrix and the corresponding polarization properties. To mitigate random phase variations between repeated measurements, we introduce a retarder-constrained phase optimization strategy. We validate the framework with imaging of birefringent phantoms and the human retina in vivo, demonstrating reliable reconstruction of retardance and optic axis orientation. This approach requires only minimal hardware modification and is readily deployable on mainstream OCT systems. Lowering technical barriers paves the way for rapid and widespread deployment of PS-OCT across diverse biomedical applications in both research and clinical environments.