Polarization sensitive quantum optical coherence tomography (PS-QOCT) is used to characterize birefringence, scattering/absorption and path length differences in a flat transparent plastic sample. In this Letter, we present the first, to the best of our knowledge, experimental technique of PS-QOCT imaging and characterization of a birefringent material. Polarization sensitive coincidence rate of the entangled photons measured for each pixel and the 2D cross-sectional images are reconstructed. The technique described in this work has many potential applications in the characterization of micro and nano structures, including biological samples.

Polarization-sensitive quantum optical coherence tomography (PS-QOCT) is used to image and characterize birefringence effects in biological samples. Entangled photons are generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion and split into a reference arm and a sample arm of a Mach Zehnder interferometer. Interferometric patterns between two entangled photons reveal information about tissue birefringence. Biological tissue samples are imaged and characterized, and their quantum interference patterns and birefringence profiles are presented.

We compare reconstructed quantum state images of a birefringent sample using direct quantum state tomography and inverse numerical optimization technique. Qubits are used to characterize birefringence in a flat transparent plastic sample by means of polarization sensitive measurement using density matrices of two-level quantum entangled photons. Pairs of entangled photons are generated in a type-II nonlinear crystal. About half of the generated photons interact with a birefringent sample, and coincidence counts are recorded. Coincidence rates of entangled photons are measured for a set of sixteen polarization states. Tomographic and inverse numerical techniques are used to reconstruct the density matrix, the degree of entanglement, and concurrence for each pixel of the investigated sample. An inverse numerical optimization technique is used to obtain a density matrix from measured coincidence counts with the maximum probability. Presented results highlight the experimental noise reduction, greater density matrix estimation, and overall image enhancement. The outcome of the entanglement distillation through projective measurements is a superposition of Bell states with different amplitudes. These changes are used to characterize the birefringence of a 3M tape. Well-defined concurrence and entanglement images of the birefringence are presented. Our results show that inverse numerical techniques improve overall image quality and detail resolution. The technique described in this work has many potential applications.

Polarization sensitive quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT) is used to characterize birefringence and path length differences in a flat transparent plastic sample.