High-sensitivity ultrasound-modulated optical tomography with a photorefractive polymer

By detecting ultrasonically tagged diffuse light, ultrasound-modulated optical tomography images optical contrast with ultrasonic resolution deep in turbid media, such as biological tissue. However, small detection etendues and weak tagged light submerged in strong untagged background light limit the signal detection sensitivity. In this Letter, we report the use of a large-area (~5 cm×5 cm) photorefractive polymer film that yields more than 10 times detection etendue over previous detection schemes. Our polymer-based system enabled us to resolve absorbing objects embedded inside diffused media thicker than 80 transport mean free paths, by using moderate light power and short ultrasound pulses.