A.M.Glazer,J.G.Lewis & W.Kaminsky: A new optical imaging system for birefringent media. J.Royal Soc.London A452 (1996) 2751-2765.

A new optical microscope imaging system is described. The instrument is capable of producing coded colour images of an optically birefringent material, where the colour represents either /sin delta/, a function of the optical retardation; phi, the orientation of a section of the optical indicatrix; or Io, the transmittance, at any place within the image. Thus the contrast normally seen in a standard crossed-polars experiment is separated out into its components. The technique is both qualitative and quantitative. Examples of the application of theis system to crystals, a rock section and a biological specimen are given.