Isotropic depolarization filter: outperforming biological samples imaging visualization via polarimetric data processing

Polarimetry is an optical tool that has emerged as a powerful tool for the analysis of biological samples through polarimetric imaging techniques. We propose an imaging method to enhance and reveal structures within samples using a polarization-based filter. This filter removes the isotropic depolarization content while amplifying the anisotropic depolarization contribution, where intrinsic characteristics related to sample composition are encoded. The filter is particularly interesting for the polarimetric inspection of biological samples, due to their high amount of isotropic depolarization content. The application of the filter to polarimetric data of biological samples not only increases the contrast between different structures of interest inside the sample, but also some structures can be unveiled. We present the results of applying this filter to different biological samples of interest. By comparing standard polarimetric images with the images obtained after the filter application, we show the potential of removing the isotropic depolarization component when inspecting biological samples. In particular, new structures that were invisible under standard imaging techniques and polarimetric images before filtering are unveiled. This suggest the convenience of the filter application for polarimetric imaging in biomedical scenarios, paving the way for improved the performance of polarimetric in pathology early detection or enhanced visualization of different structures for clinical applications.