Multiple aperture synthetic optical coherence tomography for biological tissue imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Optical Imaging
• Microscopy

Background:

• Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) faces a trade-off between transverse resolution and depth of focus (DOF).
• Existing OCT methods struggle to achieve stable cellular-resolution imaging due to limited DOF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply the novel multiple aperture synthesis (MAS) technique for extending DOF in high-resolution OCT.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of MAS for imaging microparticles and biological tissues.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a custom-made microcylindrical lens to scan the illumination beam across the objective lens pupil plane.
• Acquired images using multiple distinct apertures.
• Digitally refocused images, analogous to synthetic aperture radar principles.

Main Results:

• Successfully applied the MAS technique to image a homemade microparticle sample.
• Demonstrated effective high-resolution imaging of biological tissue with significantly extended DOF.
• Validated the feasibility and efficacy of the MAS technique for advanced OCT applications.

Conclusions:

• The multiple aperture synthesis (MAS) technique effectively extends the depth of focus (DOF) in spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
• MAS enables high-resolution imaging of microparticles and biological tissues, overcoming previous DOF limitations.
• This advancement holds promise for improved cellular-resolution imaging in OCT.