Statistical Characteristics of Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography for Tissue Imaging

Abstract

Statistical characteristics of the backscattered light from turbid tissues obtained by polarizationsensitive optical coherence tomography are investigated. The amplitude of the backscattered light is found to faithfully follow the Rayleigh distribution predicted by the scattering theory of electromagnetic waves in random media. The probability density function of the phase difference between the two orthogonal polarization components of the backscattered light is explicitly derived and then verified in comparison with the experimental data measured from in-vitro tissues of porcine ligament.