Measurement of relative phase distribution of onion epidermal cells by using the polarization microscope

Bio-cells and tissues have intrinsic polarization characteristics, which are changed by external stimulus and internal metamorphosis in cells and tissues and some of the bio-cells and tissues have intrinsic birefringence characteristics, which are also changed by external stimulus and internal metamorphosis in cells and tissues. In this paper, we have developed the polarization microscope for measurement of relative phase which results from birefringence characteristics of materials with improved linear polarizing method and have measured relative phase distribution of onion epidermal cells. From the measurement of the relative phase distribution of onion epidermal cells, decrease of relative phase distribution of onion epidermal cells was investigated as the elapse of time. In decrease of relative phase distribution, relative phase of cell membrane in onion epidermal cells decreased radically as compared with that of cytoplasm because decline of function in cell membrane that takes charge of matter transfer in onion epidermal cells has occurred.