Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial Crystals
Optical differential operations can directly extract edge information from images and have significant application potential in fields such as image processing and object recognition. In this work, we propose an optical spatial differentiator based on the birefringence effect of uniaxial crystals. T...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Photonics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/4/336 |
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| author | Xu Chen Ping Huang Xuan Tang Xunong Yi |
| author_facet | Xu Chen Ping Huang Xuan Tang Xunong Yi |
| author_sort | Xu Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Optical differential operations can directly extract edge information from images and have significant application potential in fields such as image processing and object recognition. In this work, we propose an optical spatial differentiator based on the birefringence effect of uniaxial crystals. The system comprises two orthogonal polarizers and a uniaxial crystal, offering advantages of structural simplicity, operational stability, low cost, and seamless compatibility with conventional optical systems. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed differentiator achieves clear edge imaging for both amplitude and phase objects, while also enabling dark-field differential imaging of transparent biological cells, thereby substantially enhancing imaging quality and contrast. This efficient and robust design provides a promising solution for advancing optical differentiation techniques in applications ranging from data processing to biomedical imaging. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dc840475eaf344279ebac85ae92ba3ab |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2304-6732 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Photonics |
| spelling | doaj-art-dc840475eaf344279ebac85ae92ba3ab2025-08-20T02:18:04ZengMDPI AGPhotonics2304-67322025-04-0112433610.3390/photonics12040336Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial CrystalsXu Chen0Ping Huang1Xuan Tang2Xunong Yi3Department of Physics and Engineering Technology, Guilin Normal College, Guilin 541199, ChinaDepartment of Physics and Engineering Technology, Guilin Normal College, Guilin 541199, ChinaSchool of Electronic Information and Automation, Guilin University of Aerospace Technology, Guilin 541004, ChinaSchool of Electronic Information and Automation, Guilin University of Aerospace Technology, Guilin 541004, ChinaOptical differential operations can directly extract edge information from images and have significant application potential in fields such as image processing and object recognition. In this work, we propose an optical spatial differentiator based on the birefringence effect of uniaxial crystals. The system comprises two orthogonal polarizers and a uniaxial crystal, offering advantages of structural simplicity, operational stability, low cost, and seamless compatibility with conventional optical systems. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed differentiator achieves clear edge imaging for both amplitude and phase objects, while also enabling dark-field differential imaging of transparent biological cells, thereby substantially enhancing imaging quality and contrast. This efficient and robust design provides a promising solution for advancing optical differentiation techniques in applications ranging from data processing to biomedical imaging.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/4/336beam propagationoptical spatial differentiationedge detectionuniaxial crystalphysical optics |
| spellingShingle | Xu Chen Ping Huang Xuan Tang Xunong Yi Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial Crystals Photonics beam propagation optical spatial differentiation edge detection uniaxial crystal physical optics |
| title | Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial Crystals |
| title_full | Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial Crystals |
| title_fullStr | Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial Crystals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial Crystals |
| title_short | Optical Differentiation and Edge Detection Based on Birefringence of Uniaxial Crystals |
| title_sort | optical differentiation and edge detection based on birefringence of uniaxial crystals |
| topic | beam propagation optical spatial differentiation edge detection uniaxial crystal physical optics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/4/336 |
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