POLARIZATION-SENSITIVE LOW-COHERENCE REFLECTOMETER FOR BIREFRINGENCE CHARACTERIZATION AND RANGING

We present a polarization-sensitive optical coherence-domain reflectometer capable of characterizing the phase retardation between orthogonal linear polarization modes at each reflection point in a birefringent sample. The device is insensitive to the rotation of the sample in the plane perpendicular to ranging. Phase measurement accuracy is +/-0.86-degrees, but the reflectometer can distinguish local variations in birefringence as small as 0.05-degrees with a distance resolution of 10.8-mu-m and a dynamic range of 90 dB. Birefringence-sensitive ranging in a wave plate, an electro-optic modulator, and a calf coronary artery is demonstrated.