Abstract

The success of biomedical optical imaging depends crucially upon developing a method that can rapidly measure light emitted from a scattering medium (such as tissues), and, in near-real time, upon extracting information for detection, localization, and characterization of optical heterogeneities. Previously, investigators have employed time- and frequency-domain photon migration imaging (PMI) measurements using time-consuming, single pixel scanning measurements to demonstrate the principles of biomedical optical imaging. Nevertheless, there has been little progress in developing air understanding of the "forward” imaging problem (i.e., the prediction of PMI measurements from information regarding the presence, position, and properties of optical heterogeneities obscured by scattering) to aid in formulating a solution to the "inverse" imaging problem (i.e. predicting the presence, position, and properties of optical heterogeneities from PMI measurements).

© 1993 Optical Society of America