Adaptive decorrelation compensation approach in digital-image-correlation-assisted phase-sensitive optical coherence...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Metrology

Background:

• Phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PhS-OCT) is crucial for precise measurements.
• Decorrelation is a significant challenge in PhS-OCT, especially in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regions.
• Existing amplitude-based decorrelation compensation methods have limitations in low SNR environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the superiority of phase-based decorrelation compensation over amplitude-based methods in low SNR PhS-OCT.
• To introduce an adaptive decorrelation compensation approach for digital-image-correlation (DIC)-assisted PhS-OCT.
• To enhance measurement accuracy and efficiency in PhS-OCT by adaptively managing decorrelation.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of phase-based and amplitude-based decorrelation compensation in low SNR PhS-OCT.
• Development of an adaptive compensation strategy using maximum correlation coefficients from amplitude maps.
• Implementation of secondary tracking using phase-based methods only when necessary.

Main Results:

• Phase-based decorrelation compensation significantly outperforms amplitude-based methods in low SNR regions.
• The proposed adaptive method effectively identifies regions requiring secondary tracking.
• Previously unmeasurable low SNR regions became measurable, with only 21.7% of the area requiring adaptive retracking.

Conclusions:

• The adaptive decorrelation compensation method enhances PhS-OCT capabilities in challenging low SNR conditions.
• This approach balances improved compensation quality with computational efficiency.
• The findings enable more robust and comprehensive measurements using DIC-assisted PhS-OCT.