New Imaging Technique Using the Degree of Polarization for Non-Invasive Biomedical Diagnostic

This work is the presentation of a new imaging technique which enables near real time multispectral acquisition of the so called "Degree Of Polarization" (DOP) in polarimetry with particular attention to biomedical applications. The scientific case for this kind of technique is the study of light propagation in turbid medium, which is the generically representation of a biological medium. In this sense, the variation of the elliptical polarization is used as the contrast element to enhance media characteristics in order to allow minimally invasive optical diagnostics and acquire new elements to improve the model of matter-light interaction. Thanks to the particular specifications of the system, in particular the use of two nematic liquid crystals, the system does not have any type of mechanical perturbation since it does not consider moving components. Thus the system is simple, compact, fast and easily exploitable, thus particularly adapted for the use in hospital without any particular technical or instrumental competence and any type of contrast agent or ionizing radiation.