Polarimetric contrast microscopy by orthogonality breaking

We report the design and first implementation of an active polarimetric imaging system based on the recently introduced concept of polarimetric sensing by orthogonality breaking, which involves a specific crossed-polarization dual-frequency illumination. We describe the laser source architecture and microscope set-up devoted to visible imaging at 488 nm, as well as the specific homodyne detection chain required for orthogonality breaking measurements. The first polarimetric images obtained with this non-conventional approach are presented. The polarimetric contrasts observed validate the polarimetric sensitivity of the technique.