Nano-Holographic Interferometry for In-Vivo Observations - Biomedical Optical Phase Microscopy and Nanoscopy - page 348

Figure 17.6A shows the coordinate system used in the current analysis; principal stresses
act as indicated in the schematic. The polarization vector of the incident beam is contained
in the plane of incidence (p-polarization), which at the same time is the plane of the
algebraically smallest stress (i.e., the highest negative). The highest stress (i.e., the smallest
negative) is in the perpendicular direction.

Figure 17.6B shows the optical path of the two beams generated by the glass birefringence:
the ordinary beam (p-polarized) and the extraordinary beam (s-polarized), respectively. The
optical paths of the plane wavefronts from the source on the prism surface to the arrival at
the interface between the microscope slide and saline solutions as well as their propagation
in the saline solutions are presented. The light beams that originated at the outer layer of
the prism entering the glass slide have a different index of refraction than the prism bulk

(B) z gs

s-wavefront emerging
in the saline solution

Saline
solution

n s

p-wavefront emerging
in the saline solution

x gs

z pg

Ordinary beam
(p-polarized)

Microscopic
slide

n g

1 μ m

φ sg
φ pg

Extraordinary beam
(s-polarized)

x pg

θ p

n p

Prism

Figure 17.6
(A) Schematic representation of the prism element with indication of polarized beams and
corresponding indices of refraction; (B) optical path of evanescent wavefronts [13] .