The use of terahertz (THz) radiation for imaging human tissue and delineating tumor margins has become an appealing topic in the biomedical field because THz radiation is non-ionizing and has the demonstrated ability to differentiate between cancerous and normal tissue without the need for exogenous contrast agents. Previously, a reflective continuous-wave (CW) THz imaging system utilizing a linear polarization-sensitive detection technique was demonstrated and used to delineate tumor margins for nonmelanoma skin cancers [1, 2] and determine reflectivity differences between normal and cancerous colon tissue [3 - 5]. This detection technique involves illuminating ex vivo tissue samples with linearly polarized light and collecting the signal remitted by the sample after passing through an analyzing wire grid polarizer oriented with its transmission axis perpendicular to the linear polarization incident on the sample. By collecting the cross-polarization signal, the strong Fresnel surface reflections from the sample holder interfaces are eliminated and predominantly signal from within the tissue volume is obtained. The aim of the proposed research is to enhance this polarization-sensitive detection technique by incorporating circular polarization illumination and detection channels. This technique has been demonstrated at optical wavelengths [6], where the scattering of light within the tissue volume has been extensively studied; however, it has yet to be implemented using THz radiation. In addition, this detection technique has the potential to demonstrate increased contrast between cancerous and normal tissue, and experimental results may shed light on the mechanism behind the observed contrast.
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