We report methods to generate three‐dimensional maps of birefringence, its position and orientation in juvenile shells of the Atlantic hard clamshell (Mercenaria mercenaria). For measuring the retardance and optic axis orientation of curved shell surfaces in three dimensions, we developed enhanced acquisition and processing algorithms and combined results from conventional and light field imaging approaches to reconstruct the three‐dimensional shell shape and its anisotropic optical properties. Our work represents the first successful attempt to generate such maps at a spatial resolution of about 2 μm and angular steps of about 9° in terms of the inclination angles of the optic axis. The maps of clamshell birefringence provide structural insights into the early mineralization during juvenile clamshell development.

中文翻译：

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使用偏振光场显微镜在三个维度上绘制双折射：以幼年蛤壳为例

我们报告了在大西洋硬蛤壳 (Mercenaria mercenaria) 的幼壳中生成双折射、其位置和方向的三维图的方法。为了测量三维曲面壳表面的延迟和光轴方向，我们开发了增强的采集和处理算法，并结合了传统和光场成像方法的结果，以重建三维壳形状及其各向异性光学特性。我们的工作代表了首次成功尝试以约 2 μm 的空间分辨率和约 9° 的光轴倾角角步长生成此类地图。蛤壳双折射图为幼年蛤壳发育过程中的早期矿化提供了结构见解。