Abstract
We report on a noncontact photoacoustic imaging (PAI) technique in which a low-coherence interferometer [(LCI), optical coherence tomography (OCT) hardware] is utilized as the acoustic detector. A synchronization approach is used to lock the LCI system at its highly sensitive region for photoacoustic detection. The technique is experimentally verified by the imaging of a scattering phantom embedded with hairs and the blood vessels within a mouse ear in vitro. The system's axial and lateral resolutions are evaluated at 60 and 30 μm, respectively. The experimental results indicate that PAI in a noncontact detection mode is possible with high resolution and high bandwidth. The proposed approach lends itself to a natural integration of PAI with OCT, rather than a combination of two separate and independent systems.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3975-3977 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Optics Letters |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 20 |
Early online date | 12 Sept 2011 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Oct 2011 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics