li-simplemultiwavelength-2018.pdf (1.95 MB)
Simple multi-wavelength imaging of birefringence:case study of silk
journal contribution
posted on 2018-12-05, 00:00 authored by Reo Honda, Meguya Ryu, Jingliang LiJingliang Li, Vygantas Mizeikis, Saulius Juodkazis, Junko MorikawaPolarised light imaging microscopy, with the addition of a liquid crystal (LC) phase retarder, was used to determine the birefringence of silk fibres with high (∼1 μm) spatial resolution. The measurement was carried out with the silk fibres (the optical slow axis) and the slow axis of the LC-retarder set at parallel angles. The direct fit of the transmission data allowed for high fidelity determination of the birefringence Δn ≈ 1.63 × 10-2 (with ∼2% uncertainty) of the brown silk fibre, (Antheraea pernyi) averaged over the wavelength range λ = (425-625) nm. By measuring retardance at four separate wavelengths, it was possible to determine the true value of the birefringence of a thicker sample when an optical path may include a large number of wavelengths. The numerical procedures and required hardware are described for the do-it-yourself assembly of the imaging polariscope at a fractional budget compared to commercial units.
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Scientific reportsVolume
8Article number
17652Pagination
1 - 9Publisher
Nature Publishing GroupLocation
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
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eISSN
2045-2322Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2018, The Author(s)Usage metrics
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