Apparatus, methods and storage medium for performing polarization-based quadrature demodulation in optical coherence tomography

A method, comprising:

• providing a first optical electro-magnetic radiation to a sample and a second optical electro-magnetic radiation to a reference, wherein at least one of the electro-magnetic radiation or the second electro-magnetic radiation has a spectrum which changes over time;
• combining a first polarization component of a third radiation based on the first radiation and a second polarization component of a fourth radiation based on the second radiation with one another;
• providing a configuration to ensure that the first and second polarization components are at least approximately orthogonal to one another;
• and
• detecting first optical signal derived from a first interference between a first set of the first and second polarization components to generate a first digital signal;
• detecting a second optical signal derived from a second interference between a second set of the first and second polarization components to generate a second digital signal;
• and
• modifying at least one of the first digital signal or the second digital signal based on particular data such that the first and second digital signals are in a quadrature relationship with one another.

A non-transitory storage medium which has software provided thereon, wherein the software, when executed, configures a computer to perform the steps comprising:

• controlling a first optical electro-magnetic radiation to be provided to a sample and a second optical electro-magnetic radiation to be provided to a reference, wherein a radiation generator source causes at least one of the first electro-magnetic radiation or the second electro-magnetic radiation to have a spectrum which changes over time;
• determining information associated with a combination of a first polarization component of a third radiation based on the first radiation and a second polarization component of a fourth radiation based on the second radiation with one another;
• and
• ensuring that the first and second polarization components are at least approximately orthogonal to one another;
• detecting first optical signal derived from a first interference between a first set of the first and second polarization components to generate a first digital signal;
• detecting a second optical signal derived from a second interference between a second set of the first and second polarization components to generate a second digital signal;
• and
• modifying at least one of the first digital signal or the second digital signal based on particular data such that the first and second digital signals are in a quadrature relationship with one another.