Single-Shot Quantitative Polarization Imaging of Live Cancer Cells

Polarization, a fundamental feature of the light-matter interaction, is useful in understanding the complex optical responses of the system and to unravel unique properties that are otherwise missing. Usually, measurement of the polarization demands multiple measurements, which is not suitable for live imaging. In this paper, we present a label-free and a single-shot noninvasive quantitative anisotropy imaging of the cancer cells using a polarization digital holographic microscope (PDHM). The capability of this microscope to tune the carrier frequency in recording and reconstructing polarization features from a single measurement offers a unique advantage for spatially resolved live imaging. The performance of the PDHM is first validated by measuring the anisotropy of standard samples such as polarizer and quarter wave plate (QWP) at different orientations and then applied to quantitatively image polarization changes in the cellular structure of the glioblastoma cells (U-87 MG).