Vectorial inverse scattering for dielectric tensor tomography: overcoming challenges of reconstruction of highly scattering birefringent samples

Abstract

Many important microscopy samples, such as liquid crystals, biological tissue, or starches, are birefringent in nature. They scatter light differently depending on the polarization of the light and the orientation of the molecules. The complete characterization of a birefringent sample is a challenging task because its 3 × 3 dielectric tensor must be reconstructed at every three-dimensional position. Moreover, obtaining a birefringent tomogram is more arduous for thick samples, where multiple light scattering should also be considered. In this study, we developed a new dielectric tensor tomography algorithm that enables full characterization of highly scattering birefringent samples by solving the vectoral inverse scattering problem while accounting for multiple light scattering. We proposed a discrete image-processing theory to compute the error backpropagation of vectorially diffracting light. Finally, our theory was experimentally demonstrated using both synthetic and biologically birefringent samples.