Abstract

Possibilities of tissue structure characterization by measuring the scale parameter such as exponential facto and specific correlation times of speckle intensity fluctuations are discussed. These fluctuations are inducer due to coherent beam scattering by non-stationary tissut structures. For "steady-structure" tissues (for example, in-vitro tissue samples) speckle dynamics can be provided by sample scanning. Polarization and correlatioi measurements of the scattered optical fields are used for evaluation of specific correlation time and corresponding spatial scales of depolarization and decorrelation of the probe light field. Some experimental results obtained with phantom objects such as water suspensions of polystyrem spheres as well as with optically cleared native humai sclera are presented.

© 1998 Optical Society of America