Polarised light sheet tomography

Abstract

The various benefits of light sheet microscopy have made it a widely used modality for capturing three- dimensional images. It is mostly used for fluorescence imaging, but recently another technique called Light Sheet Tomography solely relying on scattering was presented. The method was successfully applied to imaging of plant roots in transparent soil, but is limited when it comes to more turbid samples. This study presents a Polarised Light Sheet Tomography system and its advantages when imaging in highly scattering turbid media. The experimental configuration is guided by Monte Carlo Radiation Transfer methods, which model the propagation of a polarised light sheet in the sample. Images of both reflecting and absorbing phantoms in a complex collagenous matrix were acquired, and the results for different polarisation configurations are compared. Focus scanning methods were then used to reduce noise and produce three-dimensional reconstructions of absorbing targets.