Power-efficient Fourier domain optical coherence tomography setup for selection in the optical path difference sign...

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Instrumentation

Background:

• Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) is a powerful imaging technique.
• Traditional FD-OCT systems can suffer from mirror image artifacts, complicating data analysis.
• Reducing power consumption in OCT systems is crucial for portable and widespread applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel power-efficient Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) fiber system.
• To eliminate problematic mirror terms inherent in conventional OCT systems.
• To enhance the directional sensitivity of OCT for optical path difference measurements.

Main Methods:

• A fiber-based interferometer was designed with spatially separated object and reference beams.
• These beams were directed to illuminate distinct regions of a diffraction grating within the spectrometer.
• The design was inspired by the principles of Talbot bands for spectral encoding.

Main Results:

• The developed system successfully eliminated mirror terms, a common artifact in FD-OCT.
• The spatial separation strategy enabled sensitivity to only one sign of the optical path difference.
• The system demonstrated power efficiency, a key design consideration.

Conclusions:

• The presented FD-OCT system offers a robust solution for artifact-free imaging.
• This approach enhances directional sensitivity, simplifying the interpretation of OCT data.
• The power-efficient design paves the way for more accessible and deployable OCT technologies.