Polarized light microscopy provides unique opportunities for analyzing the molecular order in man-made and natural materials, including biological structures inside living cells, tissues, and whole organisms. 20 years ago, the LC-PolScope was introduced as a modern version of the traditional polarizing microscope enhanced by liquid crystal devices for the control of polarization, and by electronic imaging and digital image processing for fast and comprehensive image acquisition and analysis. The LCPolScope is commonly used for birefringence imaging, analyzing the spatial and temporal variations of the differential phase delay in ordered and transparent materials. Here we describe an alternative use of the LC-PolScope for imaging the polarization dependent transmittance of dichroic materials. We explain the minor changes needed to convert the instrument between the two imaging modes, discuss the relationship between the quantities measured with either instrument, and touch on the physical connection between refractive index, birefringence, transmittance, diattenuation, and dichroism.

中文翻译：

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高分辨率和高灵敏度下双折射和衰减的偏振光成像

偏光显微镜为分析人造和天然材料的分子顺序提供了独特的机会，包括活细胞、组织和整个生物体内部的生物结构。20 年前，LC-PolScope 作为传统偏光显微镜的现代版本推出，通过液晶设备控制偏振，并通过电子成像和数字图像处理进行快速和全面的图像采集和分析。LCPolScope 通常用于双折射成像，分析有序和透明材料中微分相位延迟的空间和时间变化。在这里，我们描述了 LC-PolScope 的另一种用途，用于对二向色材料的偏振相关透射率进行成像。