Patent ID: 6924893

Claim:
A microscope system for determining optical properties of a specimen, comprising: a source of polarized light; a detector for detecting the intensity of light incident thereon; an optical path extending from said source to said detector; a condenser for providing light from the source to the specimen; an objective for receiving light from the specimen; a support for mounting the specimen; a first sectored variable retarder mounted in one of a focal plane and a conjugate plane of at least one of the objective and condenser in said optical path, the variable retarder having a plurality of sectors, each sector being individually addressable by a control signal that affects the light retardation characteristics of said sector; a polarized light analyzer mounted in said path between said first sectored variable retarder and said detector; and a second sectored variable retarder in said one of the focal plane and the conjugate plane of at least one of the objective and condenser in said optical path, the second sectored retarder having at least one sector, each sector being individually addressable by a control signal that affects the light retardation characteristics of said sector; wherein said sectored variable retarders are located between the polarized light source and the specimen, said polarized light analyzer being mounted in said path between the specimen and said detector.