Single input state polarization sensitive swept source optical coherence tomography based on an all single mode fiber interferometer

Abstract

We present a newly developed single mode fiber based swept source polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography system using a single input state at 1040 nm. Two non-polarizing fiber based beam splitters are combined to form a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, while two polarizing beam splitters are used to obtain a polarization sensitive detection. Both types of beam splitters solely feature conventional single mode fibers. Polarization control paddles are used to set and maintain the polarization states in the fibers of the interferometer and detection unit. By use of a special paddle alignment scheme we are able to eliminate any bulk optic wave plates and polarization maintaining fibers in the interferometer and detection paths while preserving the advantages of a single input state system that illuminates the sample with circularly polarized light. To demonstrate the capabilities of our system, we performed retinal measurements on healthy human volunteers.

Single input state, single-mode fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical frequency domain imaging by eigenpolarization referencing

“…A single input polarization state would facilitate faster post–processing by adapting the rather effortless analytic solutions of traditional bulk PS–OCT systems. To achieve this, Trasischker et al demonstrated a single– mode fiber system through careful calibration of four fiber output polarization states by temporally placing an additional polarizer and detector into the corresponding optical paths [15]. Work by other groups demonstrated similar calibration efforts [16].…”

Polarization Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography: A Review of Technology and Applications

“…Most implementations were done using free-space optics [14,[40][41][42][43][44], however fiber optic prototypes have also been reported based on polarization maintaining (PM) fiber optics [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] and regular single mode fibers [53][54][55].…”

“…In particular the advent of commercial laser technology providing longer imaging ranges led to the development of PS-OCT at ultrahigh imaging speeds of 100,000 axial scans per second [18,54,73,74,98]. Even higher imaging speeds were achieved by experimental swept lasers operating at several hundred kilohertz [50,[99][100][101][102].…”

All single-mode fiber-based polarization-sensitive spectral domain optical coherence tomography system

“…Although these methods circumvent the need for extracting the accurate polarization properties at the sample, they required additional modulation or polarization delay-line unit which may increase the cost and the complexity of system, or reduce acquisition speed. SMF-based PS-OCT implementations with single IPS offered easy alignment, low system complexity, low cost, no cross coupling, compact size, and the capability to be used for clinical diagnosis [26][27][28][29]. Although an all SMF-based PS-OCT (PSOCT1300, Thorlabs) [28] was proposed to provide polarization contrast imaging of tissues, there was no evidence that the system had a role in elimination the fiber disturbances to optical axis orientation map in biomedical tissues.…”