Simultaneous optical coherence tomography--Indocyanine Green dye fluorescence imaging system for investigations of the eye's fundus

We have developed a dual-channel optical coherence tomography-Indocyanine Green dye (OCT-ICG) fluorescence system based on a previously reported ophthalmic OCT confocal imaging system. The confocal channel is tuned to the fluorescence wavelength range of the ICG, and light from the same optical source is used to generate the OCT image and to excite the ICG fluorescence. The system enables the clinician to visualize simultaneously en face OCT slices and corresponding ICG angiograms of the ocular fundus, displayed side by side. C-scan (constant depth) and B-scan (cross section) images are collected by a fast en face scan (T scan). The pixel-to-pixel correspondence between the OCT and angiography images allows the user to capture OCT B scans precisely at selected points on the ICG confocal images.     

Improving depth resolution of diffuse optical tomography with an exponential adjustment method based on maximum singular value of layered sensitivity

The sensitivity of diffuse optical tomography (DOT) imaging exponentially decreases with the increase of photon penetration depth, which leads to a poor depth resolution for DOT. In this letter, an exponential adjustment method (EAM) based on maximum singular value of layered sensitivity is proposed. Optimal depth resolution can be achieved by compensating the reduced sensitivity in the deep medium. Simulations are performed using a semi-infinite model and the simulation results show that the EAM method can substantially improve the depth resolution of deeply embedded objects in the medium. Consequently, the image quality and the reconstruction accuracy for these objects have been largely improved.     

Holographic imaging with a nanometer resolution using compact table-top EUV laser

Holographic 2D/3D imaging with nanometer resolution using short wavelength extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light is presented in this paper. Gabor’s holograms were recorded with a highly coherent table top EUV laser with different numerical apertures demonstrating ultimately a spatial resolution of 46+/−2 nm, comparable with the illumination wavelength, in 2D holographic imaging. Three dimensional images were obtained from a single high numerical aperture hologram recorded in a high resolution photoresist and numerically reconstructed at different image planes, allowing numerical optical sectioning with a lateral resolution ∼170 nm and depth resolution of 2.4 μm. The holograms were recorded in a high resolution photoresist and digitized with an atomic force microscope. To assess the spatial resolution of the numerical reconstructions of the holograms a correlation method was used. The algorithm allows for simultaneous estimation of the resolution and the feature size of the image under analysis.     

Ultrasound-enhanced chemiluminescence tomography in biological tissue

This paper reports ultrasound-assisted optical imaging of chemiluminescent probes in biological tissue. A focused low power ultrasound sonochemically enhances a peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (CL) that involves indocyanine green (ICG) as luminescent pigments. By scanning the focus, it produces tomographic images of CL in scattering media. The authors demonstrate imaging using a slab of porcine muscle measuring 50 × 50 × 75 mm, in which a capsuled CL reagent is embedded at 25 mm depth. Spatial resolution of imaging and concentration characteristics of CL reagents to enhanced CL intensity are also studied to evaluate the potential for use in bio-imaging applications with exploring the CL enhancement mechanisms. CL enhancement ratio, defined as the ratio of ultrasonically enhanced CL intensity to the base intensity without ultrasound irradiation, was found to be constant even in varying ICG and oxidizer concentrations, implying to be applicable for quantitative determination of these molecules.     

Influence of film thickness on laser ablation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

Single-pulse damage thresholds of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films were measured for 8-ns laser pulses at 532-nm wavelength. Layer thicknesses from below the optical penetration depth to above the thermal diffusion length (60 nm–13 μm) were examined. After correction of the damage-threshold values for the fraction of energy effectively absorbed by the material, the damage threshold was found to increase linearly with the layer thickness, also for film thicknesses below the optical penetration depth of a-C:H. The threshold fluence reached the bulk value for a layer thickness equal to the thermal diffusion length. The thermal diffusion coefficient was obtained from fitting the experimental data. Several phenomena like graphitization, blistering, exfoliation, and ablation were observed for different fluence regimes and film thicknesses. PACS 79.20.Ds; 06.60.Jn; 78.66.Jg     

Imaging through animal tissues with CW diode laser based broadband interferometry

We used a CW superluminescent laser diode, a CCD camera and broadband interferometry to image millimeter-size objects hidden in 15 mm chicken muscle, and demonstrate that the resolution and penetration depth is comparable to that obtained with femtosecond lasers. Coherent images are recovered from the diffused background by selectively homodyne amplifying the ‘least scattered light’ and by momentum-space filtering. A scattering rejection ratio as large as 1.1 × 10¹¹ (25 mean free paths) is achieved. We also investigated the limit of spatial resolution of our method in the diffusive region by random-phase path integration. A scaling relation among the resolution, the penetration depth and the coherence length of the light source is derived and verified by experiments.     

Experimental verification of the effects of optical wavelength on the amplitude of laser generated ultrasound in polymer-matrix composites

Laser ultrasound is now integrated into the manufacturing process of some of the most modern aircraft for the inspection of composite parts. Unfortunately, for some material and process combinations, laser-ultrasound suffers from a lack of sensitivity. In laser-ultrasound generation, optical penetration depth plays a very important role. It was shown that changing the generation wavelength from the 10.6 microm of the CO2 laser to the 3-4 microm range can significantly improve generation efficiency. In this paper, ultrasonic displacements are compared to measurements of optical penetration depth in different polymer-matrix composites. Ultrasonic waves were generated using an optical parametric oscillator operating in the 3.0-3.5 microm band and optical penetration depth spectra were evaluated using quantitative photoacoustic spectroscopy. The relative amplitudes of the generated ultrasonic waves track closely the optical penetration depth spectra. These results experimentally demonstrate the importance of optical penetration in the laser-ultrasound generation process.     

Noninvasive photoacoustic tomography of human peripheral joints toward diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis

The feasibility of photoacoustic tomography (PAT) in imaging human peripheral joints in a noninvasive manner was demonstrated through studies of cadaver human fingers. Based on the intrinsic optical contrast, intra- and extra-articular tissue structures in the finger at the levels of the joints were visualized successfully with satisfactory spatial resolution. The imaging depth of PAT in the near-infrared region enables the cross-sectional imaging of a human finger as a whole organ. As a novel technology with unique advantages, PAT holds promise for early diagnosis of inflammatory joint disorders and accurate monitoring of disease progression and response to therapy.     

光声成像技术的最新进展

光声成像技术是生物医学领域中新兴的无损检测技术,具有对比度高、分辨率好、穿透能力强等优点.本文介绍了光声成像技术近年来的进展状况,主要涉及成像探测方式的改进、成像速度的加快、成像分辨率的提高以及图像重构算法的发展等.以该项技术在现代临床诊断中的应用为例,描述了其在生物医学领域中应用范围的拓宽.最后,总结了该项技术现存的...     

Large-aperture double-focus laser collimator for PAT performance testing of inter-satellite laser communication terminal

A laser collimator is necessary for testing and verification of the pointing, acquisition and tracking (PAT) performance of inter-satellite laser communication terminals on the ground. The laser collimator must have a large clear aperture to fit the PAT performance testing system. The PAT subsystem has a large field of view for the acquisition and a high angular accuracy for the fine tracking. To resolve the conflict between large field of view and fine angular resolution, a large-aperture double-focus laser collimator is proposed and its optical design and mechanical structure are described. The collimator mainly consists of a primary lens, a reflector, a beam-splitting plate, a secondary lens, two compensating lenses, two imaging sensors and a laser. The primary lens directly forms the long focal length arm of the collimator. The combination of the primary lens and the secondary lens form the short focal length arm of the collimator. The collimator has an angular resolution <0.75 μrad and a 10 mrad field of view. For the collimator, the incident beam is focused on the two imaging sensors by its two arms, and the beam emitted from the laser is collimated and transmitted. The collimator is combined with an optical scanner and a fine beam deflector to test and verify the PAT performance of the inter-satellite laser communication terminal in a full physical manner.     

Optical detection of indocyanine green encapsulated biocompatible poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles with photothermal optical coherence tomography

We describe a functional imaging paradigm that uses photothermal optical coherence tomography (PT-OCT) to detect indocyanine green (ICG)-encapsulated biocompatible poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles embedded in highly scattering tissue phantoms with high resolution and sensitivity. The ICG-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were fabricated using a modified emulsification solvent diffusion method. With a 20 kHz axial scan rate, PT-OCT based on spectral-domain interferometric configuration at 1310 nm was used to detect phase changes induced by a 808 nm photothermal excitation of ICG-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles. An algorithm based on Fourier transform analysis of differential phase of the spectral interferogram was developed for detecting the depth resolved localized photothermal signal. Excellent contrast difference was observed with PT-OCT between phantoms containing different concentrations of ICG-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles. This technique has the potential to provide simultaneous structural and molecular-targeted imaging with excellent signal-to-noise for various clinical applications.     

In Vivo Monitoring of Neovascularization in Tumour Angiogenesis by Photoacoustic Tomography

Photoacoustic tomography （PAT） is presented to in vivo monitor neovascularization in tumour angiogenesis with high resolution and high contrast images in a rat. With a circular scan system, the photoacoustic signal, generated by laser pulses at a wavelength of 532nm from a Q-switched Nd：YAG laser is captured by a hydrophone with a diameter of 1 mm and a sensitivity of 850nV/Pa. The vascular structure around the rat tumour is imaged clearly, with optimal contrast, because blood has strong absorption near this wavelength. Serial noninvasive photoacoustic images of neovascularization in tumour angiogenesis are also obtained consecutively from a growing tumour implanted under the skin of a rat over a period of two weeks. This work demonstrates that PAT can potentially provide a powerful tool for tumour angiogenesis detection in cancer research. It will bring us closer to clinical applications for tumour diagnosis and treatment monitoring.     

基于拉曼光谱散射的新型分布式光纤温度传感器及应用

介绍了分布式光纤拉曼温度传感器(DTS)的基本原理、发展趋势和工程应用研究状况,研究了分布式光纤拉曼温度传感器的关键技术,全面提升了DTS的性能。将拉曼放大技术应用于DTS系统,用拉曼增益部分抵偿光纤的传输损耗,使系统的传感长度达到50 km;对脉冲激光器进行211位循环编码,在接收时采用相关运算解调,显著提高系统的信噪比,使测温不确定度达到1 ℃;采用双波长自校正技术提高了系统的空间分辨率,达到2 m;在DTS系统中嵌入光开关,使测温通道成倍扩展,有效延伸了传感光纤的总长度,组成光纤传感网络。     

Variation of photon density distribution with system component within Intralipid emulsion

In order to recover distributions of optical parameters of underlining tissues utilizing backreflection optic tomography or diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for diagnostic proposes, trajectories of photons should be correctly estimated within tissue. Therefore, we have simulated the soft tissues with 1% Intralipid emulsion and have determined photon density distribution as a function of depth inside the Intralipid emulsions using laser light of wavelength 808 nm and two different detectors for different source-to-detector (S-D) separations. In this study we have shown difference in path distribution of the detected photons with two different detectors with different sensitivity for the same S-D separations in the Intralipid emulsions. This study has also shown that, the maximum penetration depth (MPD) of the detected photons is not an increasing function of the S-D separations. After reaching a maximum depth, the penetration depth decreases as S-D separation increases.     

超短脉冲激光瞄准装置光学系统设计

为了提高超短脉冲激光的瞄准精度,基于自准直原理提出瞄准装置光学系统。以670 nm光纤耦合激光器为光源,设计指示光准直、扩束光学系统,准直光的不平行度达到3.2,设计焦距为350 mm,相对孔径1/5,离轴量50 mm的主激光离轴抛物面镜,其成像质量达到衍射极限,基于准直束光学系统和离轴抛物面镜,设计可适应670 nm和800 nm两种波长的20和100的瞄准和监测成像光学系统。提出一种小孔准直的安装调试方法,以指示光进行实验验证,结果表明:设计的光学系统成像光斑均匀,其物方分辨率达到4.1 m。     

Wavelength tunable optical time-domain reflectometry based on wavelength swept fiber laser employing two-dimensional digital micro-mirror array

We demonstrate a cost effective wavelength tunable optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) for wavelength division multiplexing passive optical networks (WDM-PON). In order to realize the unique wavelength tunable optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR), the wavelength swept fiber laser was developed by a digital micro-mirror array device (DMD), and the correlation OTDR (COTDR) technique was used. We successfully detected the fault location at the remote node fibers with 20 m resolution and fast wavelength setting speed of ∼15 μs in conventional band (C-band).     

X-ray microscopy

The wavelength limitation on resolution indicates that an x-ray microscope may surpass the optical microscope but will not compete with the electron microscope even if all the technical difficulties could be overcome. However, there are other advantages besides resolution that make x-rays an attractive medium for microscopy.

The penetration of x-rays allows the examination of the internal detail of a specimen on the micro scale without the need for sectioning and reconstruction. The large depth of focus permits the viewing of this internal detail with equal sharpness and stereographically if necessary. The specimen may be in air at atmospheric pressure, while the electron microscope demands high vacuum, and yet the resolution may be better than that of the optical microscope. Most important, the simple absorption and emission spectra of x-rays leads to the extraction of quantitative information from the image in terms of mass and elements present that in many cases cannot be obtained in any other way.

These and other reasons have led to the search for a usable x-ray microscope and the three more successful methods of reflection, contact and projection are discussed here. In addition, recent results on microanalysis show where the bulk of the future work will lie.     

Laser-based volumetric colour-coded three-dimensional particle velocimetry

We present a method of three-dimensional particle velocimetry with a single digital colour camera using multiple colour illumination to encode image depth over a large volume. A copper vapour laser operating at 511 nm is used to pump an optical fibre producing a multiple-wavelength beam via multiple order stimulated Raman scattering. The beam is dispersed and formed into a stack of thin sheets to illuminate a volume of space. The spatial co-ordinates of particles imaged within the illuminated volume are obtained from their imaged x,y positions with depth discerned from particle hue (set by the wavelength of illumination). The method exhibits an RMS depth error of 3% in relation to the thickness of the illuminated region. This paper reports a proof-of-principle of three-dimensional particle imaging using a multi-wavelength laser source with a view to 3D-3C particle velocimetry.     

激光等离子体受激Raman散射光谱的时间分辨测量

采用光学多道谱仪和光学条纹相机耦合,组成时间分辨的Raman散射光谱测量系统,可实现0.5nm的光谱分辨和好于10ps的时间分辨。采用该测量系统,在神光Ⅱ装置上开展了脉宽1ns、波长351nm的激光与两种不同尺寸柱腔靶相互作用的物理实验,获得了时间分辨的SRS光谱实验结果。研究表明,SRS光谱在时间上相对于入射激光有一定的延迟,腔靶尺寸减小时,延迟时间随之减小。通过长、短波截止波长分析电子密度方法,计算得出了Ⅰ型和Ⅱ型腔靶SRS散射光最短波长光谱发生的密度区分别为0.069nc和0.027nc。     

Imaging with the optoacoustic effect

Optoacoustic imaging is a new technique with unusual features. It allows not only optical imaging, but also imaging of thermal structures on and in the sample. With optical radiation, images are produced from sample depths exceeding the optical penetration depth by several orders of magnitude. The resolution of, at present, about 7μm reveals microscopic structures. With simple image processing techniques information can be obtained from certain sample layers, and background structure can be suppressed.