Wide-field polarization-assisted anisotropic mapping for edge enhancement using linear Mueller matrix holography

Mueller matrix polarimetry (MMP) is a crucial imaging modality for the anisotropic study of birefringent objects. The major drawback of MMP is that it lacks phase information of the sample. Moreover, the real-time Mueller matrix measurement and associated anisotropy retrieval with desired imaging parameters are substantial challenges in existing MMP techniques. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel, to our knowledge, polarization holographic technique enabling simultaneous measurement of spatially resolved intensity, quantitative phase (QP), and polarization properties of anisotropic samples from the linear Mueller matrix by integrating division of focal plane (DoFP) polarimetric sensing and digital holographic microscopy (DHM) from just four recorded holograms, demonstrating a fourfold reduction in acquisition compared to conventional sequential MMP methods. The results exhibit notable edge enhancement features, which are directly associated with the anisotropy of the sample. This technique provides a hybrid approach for fast and cost-efficient Mueller matrix holography with potential applications in birefringent microscopy and clinical diagnosis.