Method and system for imaging objects in turbid media using diffusive fermat photons
First Claim
1. A method of imaging an object located in a turbid medium, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) illuminating the object through the turbid medium with a pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake-like component and a diffusive component, said diffusive component including Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons;
(b) gating the emergent light from the turbid medium to preferentially select Fermat photons; and
(c) forming an image of the object using the gated light.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for imaging objects in turbid media. According to one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the steps of (a) illuminating the object through the turbid medium with a pulse of light, the light emergent from the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake-like component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component including Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons; (b) gating the light emergent from the turbid medium to preferentially select Fermat photons; and (c) forming an image of the object using the gated light. Preferably, a spatial gate is used to preferentially select Fermat photons from the emergent light. This may be done by orienting the source of the illuminating light and a light detector to lie along a most favorable path travelled predominately by Fermat photons. A time gate, such as a streak camera or the like, may be used in addition to the spatial gate to more carefully select Fermat photons from the emergent light. The above-described method may also be used to produce a tomography map of a turbid medium for use in detecting an object located within the turbid medium. This may be done, for example, by providing two or more pairs of light sources and light detectors which are arranged to provide intersecting most favorable paths. The present invention is also directed to systems constructed in accordance with the foregoing methods.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A method of imaging an object located in a turbid medium, said method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) illuminating the object through the turbid medium with a pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake-like component and a diffusive component, said diffusive component including Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons; (b) gating the emergent light from the turbid medium to preferentially select Fermat photons; and (c) forming an image of the object using the gated light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A system for imaging an object located in a turbid medium, said system comprising:
-
(a) means for illuminating the object through the turbid medium with a pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light consisting of a ballistic component, a snake-like component and a diffusive component, said diffusive component including Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons; (b) means for gating the emergent light from the turbid medium to preferentially select Fermat photons; and (c) means for forming an image of the object using the gated light. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method of generating a tomographic map of a turbid medium, said method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) illuminating the turbid medium with a first pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a first most favorable path; (b) illuminating the turbid medium with a second pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a second most favorable path, said first most favorable path and said second most favorable path intersecting at a point within the turbid medium; (c) gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said first pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons; (d) gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said second pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons; and (e) using the photons gated in steps (c) and (d) to generate a tomographic map of the turbid medium. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. A system for generating a tomographic map of a turbid medium, said system comprising:
-
(a) means for illuminating the turbid medium with a first pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consists of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a first most favorable path; (b) means for illuminating the turbid medium with a second pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consists of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a second most favorable path, said first most favorable path and said second most favorable path intersecting at a point within turbid medium; (c) means for gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said first pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons; (d) means for gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said second pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons; and (e) means for generating a tomographic map of the turbid medium using the Fermat photons detected in steps (c) and (d).
-
Specification