Evaluation of anisotropic chitosan hydrogels using analytical Mueller matrix method and scanned laser pico-projector.

Chitosan has excellent biodegradable, biocompatible and bio-absorbable properties and has been found increasing use in the biomedical field in recent decades. The linear birefringence (LB), linear diattenuation (LD), circular birefringence (CB), circular diattenuation (CD), and depolarization properties of chitosan hydrogel films crosslinked in citrate acid buffer solution (CBS) are extracted using an analytical Mueller matrix method. It is shown that the optical phase retardance property of the hydrogel films provides a reliable indication of both the chitosan concentration of the film and the pH value of the CBS crosslinking environment.

Ultrahigh sensitivity polarimetric strain sensor based upon D-shaped optical fiber and surface plasmon resonance technology.

An ultrahigh sensitivity polarimetric strain sensor is proposed based upon a four-layer D-shaped optical fiber and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology. In contrast to existing SPR-based sensors, which are based on changes in the refractive index of the overlayer, the sensor proposed in this study is based on the change in the refractive index of the fiber core in response to the application of an axial load. Specifically, the phase difference between the P and S waves after passing through the sensor under SPR conditions is measured using a common-path heterodyne interferometer and is used to determine the corresponding change in the refractive index of the core, from which the strain is then inversely derived.

An analysis of heterodyne signals in apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy.

This study constructs interference-based model of the apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy (A-SNOM) heterodyne detection signal which takes account of both the tip enhancement phenomena and the tip reflective background electric field. The analytical model not only provides a meaningful explanation of the image artifacts and errors, but also suggests methods for reducing these effects. It is shown that the detection signal obtained in the heterodyne A-SNOM method has a significantly higher signal-to-background (S/B) ratio than in the homodyne method.

Optical coherence tomography system with no high-precision scanning stage and stage controller.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel technique for noninvasive imaging based on the use of a low-coherence interferometer. Conventionally, obtaining high-resolution images requires the use of high-precision sample and scanning stages and a stage controller for simultaneous measurement of the refractive index and the thickness of an optical sample. However, in this study a novel optical-fiber-type OCT system is developed that does not need both a high-precision scanning stage and a stage controller.