Opt Lett. 2023 Jul 1;48(13):3499-3502. doi: 10.1364/OL.488143.
Polarization-related image artifacts are frequently observed in optical coherence tomography (OCT) data. As most modern OCT layouts rely on polarized light sources, only the co-polarized component of the light scattered from within a sample can be detected after interference with the reference beam. Cross-polarized sample light does not interfere with the reference beam and thus produces artifacts ranging from a reduction to the full absence of OCT signals. Here we present a simple yet effective technique to prevent polarization artifacts. By partly depolarizing the light source at the interferometer entrance, we achieve OCT signals regardless of the sample polarization state. We demonstrate the performance of our approach in a defined retarder as well as in birefringent dura mater tissue. This simple and cost-effective technique can be applied to obviate cross-polarization artifacts in virtually any OCT layout.
偏振相关的图像伪影在光学相干断层扫描（OCT）数据中经常观察到。由于大多数现代 OCT 布局都依赖于偏振光源，因此只有从样品内部散射的光的同偏振分量才能在与参考光束干涉后被检测到。交叉偏振的样品光不会与参考光束干涉，因此会产生从 OCT 信号减少到完全缺失的伪影。在这里，我们提出了一种简单而有效的技术来防止偏振伪影。通过部分去偏振干涉仪入口处的光源，我们可以实现无论样品偏振状态如何的 OCT 信号。我们在定义的延迟器以及双折射硬脑膜组织中证明了我们方法的性能。这种简单且具有成本效益的技术可以应用于消除几乎任何 OCT 布局中的交叉偏振伪影。
