Monte Carlo simulation on polarization features in tissue optical clearing

This paper focuses on the polarization features during the tissue optical clearing process. Based on our previous anisotropic tissue model and polarization sensitive Monte Carlo simulation program, we simulated the influence of refractive index matching on polarized photons behaviors and observed the polarization parameters change with the clearing process. Using two methods: Mueller matrix polar decomposition (MMPD) and Mueller matrix transformation (MMT), we characterized the depolarization and the anisotropic optical phenomena for a mimicked sclera model. The simulation separated the photons from three different depths and showed a different polarization evolution with the index matching. For linear or circular incident polarized light, the simulation results also indicated the different regularity of optical anisotropy and depolarization. All these preliminary results imply a potential of polarization characterization applied in tracking and assessing the tissue clearing operation.