Revealing hidden bioimaging information by isotropic depolarization filtering

We propose an imaging method to enhance and reveal structures within samples by using a polarization-based filter. This filter removes the isotropic content while amplifying the anisotropic component of depolarization. Whereas isotropic depolarization leads to a complete loss of polarimetric information, the anisotropic one is connected with intrinsic characteristics of samples. The filter has the capability to diminish the isotropic depolarization of samples, revealing their inherent information. As representative cases, we analyze the effect of the filter in heart and brain sections of animal origin. Results highlight the outstanding performance of the filter. In heart, myocardial and subendocardial structures are better visualized, whereas in the brain, fiber tracts are identified. These proves the significance of this filter in the medical field, paving the way to the early detection of pathologies. The methodologies here presented could be applied in a wide range of applications, providing a significant advance in polarization imaging where high isotropic depolarization response is present, this being a common scenario in nature.