Polarimetric study of leukemia human peripheral blood smears in 400–800 nm spectral range

Use of optical polarimetry to characterize leukemia human blood samples is demonstrated. Elements of Mueller matrices of different blood samples were measured for the 400–800 nm wavelength range. The Mueller matrices were decomposed into elliptical diattenuation, retardation, and depolarization matrices using polar decomposition. Decrease in the hemoglobin concentration was detected by measured changes in polarization character, transmission, dichroism, birefringence, and depolarization. Results were confirmed by comparing with the complete blood counts obtained through flow cytometry. This provides an alternate technique for non-invasive use of polarimetry for detecting hematological disorders.