Microsphere-assisted super-resolution polarized light microscopy for polarization-sensitive materials

Polarization sensitivity is a fundamental phenomenon observed in nature, and its application is vital for advancing scientific discoveries. Here, we present a microsphere-assisted polarized light microscopy method that enables high-quality, label-free super-resolution imaging of polarization-sensitive materials. We investigated the imaging performance of this method using various samples, including colloidal crystals and grating structures. Both simulations and experiments were performed to explore the underlying physical mechanisms driving the enhancement in imaging quality. The results of this work have potential values for the fields of polarized light microscopy and super-resolution imaging.