High-precision frequency-domain measurements of the optical properties of turbid media

We report high-precision measurements of the absorption and the reduced scattering coefficients for turbid media. Using a frequency-domain measurement technique for a point-source infinite-medium geometry, we find that the standard deviations of multiple measurements of the absorption coefficient mu(a) and the reduced scattering coefficient mu(s)(?) are less than 0.6%, and three independently derived values for mu(a) and mu(s)(?) agree to better than 1%. Measurements of mu(a) agree with measurements of a nonscattering medium to within 1.2%. To obtain high precision requires attention to proper conditions for the spherical photon-density wave model, the detection linearity, and the ratio of the absorption rate to the source modulation rate. Frequency-domain amplitude and phase measurements deviate from fitted curves by 0.1% and 0.06 degrees rms, respectively.