Imaging through turbid media based on wave transport model approach

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Biomedical Imaging
• Photonics

Background:

• Turbid media present challenges for optical imaging due to light scattering.
• Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) offers label-free contrast but is sensitive to scattering effects.
• Amplitude-only imaging is another technique affected by scattering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simulate and analyze the impact of scattering in turbid media on both amplitude-only and quantitative phase imaging.
• To derive an optical transfer function for light propagation through scattering media.
• To quantify the degradation of spatial resolution and phase accuracy due to scattering.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a transport model to simulate light propagation in a turbid medium.
• Derived an optical transfer function to characterize scattering effects.
• Employed a solution of the transport-of-intensity equation for phase retrieval.

Main Results:

• Scattering was shown to degrade spatial resolution in both amplitude-only and quantitative phase imaging.
• The accuracy of retrieved phase information decreased as the optical density of the scattering medium increased.
• An optical transfer function for scattering media was successfully derived.

Conclusions:

• Scattering significantly impacts the performance of optical imaging techniques in turbid environments.
• Quantitative phase imaging is sensitive to scattering, with phase retrieval accuracy diminishing with higher scattering.
• The derived optical transfer function provides a tool for understanding and potentially mitigating scattering effects in imaging.