Abstract

Tissue microscopic structure affects the propagation of light and its polarization. For instance, light diffusion and the polarization transformation it experiences are isotropic in the brain’s grey matter, while white matter shows anisotropy and birefringence. Knowing that cancerous tissue behaves isotropically, our ultimate goal is to delineate a tumor in the white matter. Using a Mueller matrix polarimeter as described by [1], we analyze the polarization transformation through Cloude decomposition [2], in order to identify the relevant polarimetric parameters. As we observe the backscattered light, our measurement is sensitive to the structure in depth and thus could achieve a 3D location. Our work presents a method to quantify the degree of anisotropy of the tissue as well as the nerve fibers’ orientation and the tissues’ classification into grey or white matter.

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