Fourier transform acousto-optic imaging with a custom-designed CMOS smart-pixels array

We report acousto-optic imaging (AOI) into a scattering medium using a Fourier Transform (FT) analysis to achieve axial resolution. The measurement system was implemented using a CMOS smart-pixels sensor dedicated to the real-time analysis of speckle patterns. This first proof-of-principle of FT-AOI demonstrates some of its potential advantages, with a signal-to-noise ratio comparable to the one obtained without axial resolution, and with an acquisition rate compatible with a use on living biological tissue.