Microscopy Polarization

Polarized microscopy

Polarization microscopy is a method of studying objects using polarized light. This technique is used to detect and examine objects or structures that exhibit birefringent properties, such as crystals, fibers, fabrics, and other materials.

Polarized light is light that has a specific orientation of the plane of polarization. When passing through objects that have birefringent properties (for example, crystals), light is divided into two polarized rays - ordinary and extraordinary. An ordinary ray is refracted and reflected in accordance with the laws of optics, and an extraordinary ray passes through the object unchanged.

When using polarization microscopy, an object is illuminated with polarized light, and its reflection and refraction from the structure of the object is recorded using a special polarization analyzer. If an object has birefringent properties, then it will exhibit different degrees of polarization of reflected and refracted light depending on the orientation of the plane of polarization of the light.

The use of polarization microscopy is widespread in various fields of science and technology, such as crystallography, optical microscopy, biomedicine, materials science and others. It allows you to study the structure and properties of objects at the microscopic level, which is impossible using other microscopy methods.

Introduction In this article we will look at polarization microscopy. This is an optical method for studying the details of objects using a microscope and observing optical phenomena based on the birefringence of light. This method allows for the study of structures at the molecular or submolecular level of the material being studied.

Definition Polarizing microscopy (MP) is a method of studying microstructures using the optical properties of light polarization, carried out using a microscope. The polarizability of some objects is sometimes used as a diagnostic feature, since several independent interactions such as dichroism (usually characterized by the overall declination of a given substance, including a set of optical axes), chirality (the appearance of a substance due to the presence of mirror symmetry) and birefringence (optical effect associated with two different phases of a light wave) can occur in substances with a certain ratio of components, such as complex molecular structures or optically active substances. During MT, the samples under study are illuminated with a polarized light beam, since polarized light can be described as alternately oscillating electromagnetic waves. Illuminated objects (samples) in which birefringence occurs exhibit an unusual property of rotation of the plane of polarization, which may be due precisely to the presence of polar properties. These features can be represented both by the polarization of transmitted light and by the polarization of direct light from the samples.

The polarimeter method is widely used in medicine to solve specific diagnostic and surgical problems, including: - Presuming the diagnosis of certain eye diseases; - Diagnosis of the condition of the retina using retinography; - Detection of cataracts, lens, condition of the corneal endothelium;