Polarization sensing in digital holographic microscopy

Digital holographic microscopy is well suited to the search for microbial species due in part to its intrinsic stability, volumetric imaging capability, and sensitivity to very dilute samples. This is all done with a system having no moving parts, making it additionally attractive for flight instrumentation. Our devices have been field tested on several occasions, and have demonstrated robustness to extreme conditions. When bacteria are alive and moving, they are easy to detect. However, some measurements are subtler. Can we distinguish between a live yet nonmotile species and a mineral, for instance? To provide another method of discrimination, we have added the ability to measure object polarization. This will allow us to characterize the sample by polarization state without any sacrifice in the spatial or temporal resolution (\u003c1um at 15 Hz). This snapshot polarization sensing is a new method for characterizing the sample under test. In this paper, we will describe the instrument design, the laboratory tests, and demonstrate its performance with live bacteria and crystalline samples.