title: Phase, amplitude, and polarization microscopy with a sampling field sensor.
abstract: I describe an improved implementation of a previously reported interferometric device, the sampling field sensor (SFS) [Appl. Opt.47, B32-B43 (2008)]. It provides X, Y, and XY shearing interferometric information simultaneously (space multiplexed) with amplitude and polarization information while using time-multiplexed phase shifting. Its simple common-path configuration makes it compact and vibration insensitive, as demonstrated by the ~lambda/125 phase estimation repeatability that was below the coherent noise floor (estimated at ~lambda/50). The SFS may be viewed as an efficient, robust and accurate full-field optical-digital interface, easy to integrate with traditional imaging systems. This is demonstrated by using the sensor as the focal plane array of a transmitted-light microscope in a straightforward setup using an illumination path polarization phase shifter. This work is focused on a qualitative demonstration and presents phase, amplitude, and polarization images of different types of human cheek cells and Caenorhabditiselegans larvae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. rt77@cornell.edu
authors.forename: Remy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tumbar
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002610:Cheek; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007814:Larva / Q000378:metabolism; D008027:Light; D008857:Microscopy, Interference / Q000379:methods*; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization / Q000379:methods*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015203:Reproducibility of Results