We demonstrate experimentally ghost optical coherence tomography using a broadband incoherent supercontinuum light source with shot-to-shot random spectral fluctuations. The technique is based on ghost imaging in the spectral domain where the object is the spectral interference pattern generated from an optical coherence tomography interferometer in which a physical sample is placed. The image of the sample is obtained from the Fourier transform of the correlation between the spectrally-resolved intensity fluctuations of the supercontinuum and the integrated signal measured at the output of the interferometer. The results are in excellent agreement with measurements obtained from a conventional optical coherence tomography system.
We analyze an experimental setup in which a quasi-monochromatic spatially coherent beam of light is used to probe a paraxial optical scatterer. We discuss the effect of the spatial coherence of the probe beam on the Mueller matrix representing the scatterer. We show that according to the degree of spatial coherence of the beam, the \emph{same} scattering system can be represented by \emph{different} Mueller matrices. This result should serve as a warning for experimentalists.
We develop a model of full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) that includes a description of partial temporal and spatial coherence, together with a mean-field scattering theory going beyond the Born approximation. Based on explicit expressions of the FF-OCT signal, we discuss essential features of FF-OCT imaging, such as the influence of partial coherence on the optical transfer function, and on the decay of the signal with depth that is captured by the model. We derive the conditions under which the spatially averaged signal exhibits a pure exponential decay with depth, providing a …
The Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a powerful interferometric imaging technique widely used in medical fields such as ophthalmology, cardiology and dermatology, for which footprint and cost are becoming increasingly important. Here we present a platform for miniaturized sources for OCT based on chip-scale lithographically-defined microresonators. We show that the proposed platform is compatible with standard commercial spectral domain (SD) OCT systems and enable imaging of human tissue with an image quality comparable to the one achieved with tabletop commercial sources. This platform p…
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)（韩国科学技术院）；KAIST Institute for Health Science and Technology, KAIST（韩国科学技术院健康科学与技术研究所）；Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, KAIST（韩国科学技术院医学科学与工程研究生院）；Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST（韩国科学技术院机械工程系）；Graduate School of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, KAIST（韩国科学技术院干细胞与再生生物学研究生院）；Department of Pathology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine（延世大学医学院江南世福兰斯医院病理科）；Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science（基础科学研究院基因组工程中心）；BioMedical Research Center (BMRC), KAIST（韩国科学技术院生物医学研究中心）；Tomocube Inc.（Tomocube公司）
The potential for improving the penetration depth of optical coherence tomography systems by using increasingly longer wavelength light sources has been known since the inception of the technique in the early 1990s. Nevertheless, the development of mid-infrared optical coherence tomography has long been challenged by the maturity and fidelity of optical components in this spectral region, resulting in slow acquisition, low sensitivity, and poor axial resolution. In this work, a mid-infrared spectral-domain optical coherence tomography system operating at 4 micron central wavelength with an axi…
Multiple scattering of waves in disordered media is a nightmare whether it be for detection or imaging purposes. The best approach so far to get rid of multiple scattering is optical coherence tomography. It basically combines confocal microscopy and coherence time-gating to discriminate ballistic photons from a predominant multiple scattering background. Nevertheless, the imaging depth range remains limited to 1 mm at best in human soft tissues. Here we propose a matrix approach of optical imaging to push back this fundamental limit. By combining a matrix discrimination of ballistic waves and…
We present a general theory of optical coherence tomography (OCT), which synthesizes the fundamental concepts and implementations of OCT under a common 3D k-space framework. At the heart of this analysis is the Fourier diffraction theorem, which relates the coherent interaction between a sample and plane wave to the Ewald sphere in the 3D k-space representation of the sample. While only the axial dimension of OCT is typically analyzed in k-space, we show that embracing a fully 3D k-space formalism allows explanation of nearly every fundamental physical phenomenon or property of OCT, including …
We report on Mid-infrared (MIR) OCT at 4 $μ$m based on collinear sum-frequency upconversion and promote the A-scan scan rate to 3 kHz. We demonstrate the increased imaging speed for two spectral realizations, one providing an axial resolution of 8.6 $μ$m, and one providing a record axial resolution of 5.8 $μ$m. Image performance is evaluated by sub-surface micro-mapping of a plastic glove and real-time monitoring of CO$_2$ in parallel with OCT imaging.
The intensity levels allowed by safety standards (ANSI or ICNIRP) limit the amount of light that can be used in a clinical setting to image highly scattering or absorptive tissues with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). To achieve high-sensitivity imaging at low intensity levels, we adapt a detection scheme -- which is used in quantum optics for providing information about spectral correlations of photons -- into a standard spectral domain OCT system. This detection scheme is based on the concept of Dispersive Fourier Transformation, where a fibre introduces a wavelength-dependent time delay …
Full-field swept-source optical coherence tomography (FF-SS-OCT) and laser Doppler holography (LDH) are two holographic imaging techniques presenting unique capabilities for ophthalmology. We report on interlaced FF-SS-OCT and LDH imaging with a single instrument. Effectively, retinal blood flow and pulsation could be quasi-simultaneously monitored. This instrument holds potential for a wide scope of ophthalmic applications.
We retrieve depth information (moments) of an object using partially coherent fields and defocus induced holographic contrast. Our analysis leads to a form of tomography that does not require sample or source rotation. The tomography method presented here is performed with only two in-line images.
Phase-Locked Time-Stretch Optical Coherence Tomography for Contrast-Enhanced Retinal Microangiography
Pusan National University（釜山国立大学）；Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School（哈佛医学院麻省总医院光医学中心）；Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital（釜山国立大学医院实验室医学部与生物医学研究所）；Korea Photonics Technology Institute（韩国光子技术研究所）
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) was originally conceived as a volumetric imaging method. Quickly, OCT images went beyond structural data and started to provide functional information about an object enabling for example visualization of blood flow or tissue elasticity. Minimal or no need for system alterations make functional OCT techniques useful in performing multimodal imaging, where differently contrasted images are produced in a single examination. We propose a method that further extends the current capabilities of OCT and requires no modifications to the system. Our algorithm provide…
Inverse spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (IS-OCT) methods apply inverse problem formulations to acquired spectra to estimate depth-resolved sample properties. In the current study, we modelled the time-frequency-distributions using Lambert-Beer law and implemented IS-OCT using backscattering spectra calculated from Mie theory, then demonstrated the algorithm on polystyrene microspheres under idealized conditions. The results are significant because the method generates depth dependent estimates of both the concentration and diameter of scattering particles.
Large-volume optical coherence tomography with real-time correction of geometric distortion artifacts
大体积光学相干断层扫描（OCT）设置采用扫描镜并且遭受非线性几何失真伪影，其中失真程度由镜旋转的最大角度确定。在本章中，我们描述了一个简单的方法来纠正这些失真的文物，创建一个替代以前报道的光线跟踪方案，无法实时应用这些校正。通过在标准计算机的图形卡上实现所提出的3D重新校准算法，可以实时应用该功能。我们使用OCT测量在12.35 x 10.13 x 2.36 mm^3的大成像体积内高度弯曲的物体来验证该技术的准确性。将所得的3D物体形状测量结果与高分辨率和无像差的光学轮廓测量结果进行比较。在样品轴向和横向上保持<10微米的光学分辨率的情况下，我们实现了实时、高分辨率、大体积OCT成像系统，能够产生几何表面形状精度<15微米的失真校正宽场OCT数据。
In this paper, we revisit the well-known Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect in which two photons, which meet at a beamsplitter, can interfere destructively, leading to null in coincidence counts. In a standard HOM measurement, the coincidence counts across the two output ports of the beamsplitter are monitored as the temporal delay between the two photons prior to the beamsplitter is varied, resulting in the well-known HOM dip. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that by leaving the delay fixed at a particular value while relying on spectrally-resolved coincidence photon-counting, we can …
Optical-coherence tomography (OCT) is a technique that employs light in order to measure the internal structure of semi-transparent, e.g. biological, samples. It is based on the interference pattern of low-coherence light. Quantum-OCT (QOCT), instead, employs the correlation properties of entangled photon pairs, for example, generated by the process of spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC). The usual QOCT scheme uses photon pairs characterised by a joint-spectral amplitude with strict spectral anti-correlations. It has been shown that, in contrast with its classical counterpart, QOCT pr…
Optical diffraction tomography (ODT) is a three-dimensional (3D) label-free imaging technique. The 3D refractive index distribution of a sample can be reconstructed from multiple two-dimensional optical field images via ODT. Herein, we introduce a temporally low-coherence ODT technique using a ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulator (FLC SLM). The fast binary-phase modulation provided by the FLC SLM ensures a high spatiotemporal resolution with considerably reduced coherent noise. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed system using various samples, including colloidal micr…
Optical coherence tomography is state-of-the-art in non-invasive imaging of biological structures. Spectral Domain Optical Co-herence Tomography is the popularly used variation of this technique, but its performance is limited by the bandwidth and res-olution of the system. In this work, we theoretically formulate the use of phase modulators and delay lines to act as filters on the tomography system and scan multiple channels. Various channels are then combined in a digital computer using filter bank theory to improve the sampling rate . The combination of multiple channels allows for increasi…
In optical coherence tomography (OCT), axial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are typically viewed as uncoupled parameters. We show that this is only true for mirror-like surfaces, and that in diffuse scattering samples such as tissue there is an inherent coupling between axial resolution and measurement SNR. We explain the origin of this coupling and demonstrate that it can be used to achieve increased imaging penetration depth at the expense of resolution. Finally, we argue that this coupling should be considered during OCT system design processes that seek to balance competing nee…
We demonstrate that simultaneous application of optical clearing agents (OCAs) and complex wavefront shaping in optical coherence tomography (OCT) can provide significant enhancement of the penetration depth and imaging quality. OCA reduces optical inhomogeneity of a highly scattering sample, and the wavefront shaping of illumination light controls multiple scattering, resulting in an enhancement of the penetration depth and signal-to-noise ratio. A tissue phantom study shows that concurrent applications of OCA and wavefront shaping successfully operate in OCT imaging. The penetration depth en…
This short textbook was written for someone who newly start studying, doing research, or development about optical coherence tomography (OCT) or using OCT. The first chapter summarizes the concept and the history of OCT. In the second chapter, the technologies of OCT are summarized, which includes the mathematical principle, hardware implementation, the instructions for designs such as interferometer and wavelength selections, and theories of resolutions and sensitivity. In the third chapter, some examples of ophthalmic applications of OCT are described. In the last chapter, instructions for n…
We report on a theoretical model for image formation in full-field optical coherence tomography (FFOCT). Because the spatial incoherence of the illumination acts as a virtual confocal pinhole in FFOCT, its imaging performance is equivalent to a scanning time-gated coherent confocal microscope. In agreement with optical experiments enabling a precise control of aberrations, FFOCT is shown to have nearly twice the resolution of standard imaging at moderate aberration level. Beyond a rigorous study on the sensitivity of FFOCT with respect to aberrations, this theoretical model paves the way towar…
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a label-free, non-invasive 3D imaging tool widely used in both biological research and clinical diagnosis. Current OCT modalities can only visualize specimen tomography without chemical information. Here, we report a bondselective full-field OCT (BS-FF-OCT), in which a pulsed mid-infrared laser is used to modulate the OCT signal through the photothermal effect, achieving label-free bond-selective 3D sectioned imaging of highly scattering samples. We first demonstrate BS-FF-OCT imaging of 1 μm PMMA beads embedded in agarose gel. Next, we then show 3D hypers…
Mid-infrared light scatters much less than shorter wavelengths, allowing greatly enhanced penetration depths for optical imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography (OCT). However, both detection and broadband sources in the mid-IR are technologically challenging. Interfering entangled photons in a nonlinear interferometer enables sensing with undetected photons making mid-IR sources and detectors obsolete. Here we implement mid-infrared frequency-domain OCT based on ultra-broadband entangled photon pairs. We demonstrate 10 $μ$m axial and 20 $μ$m lateral resolution 2D and 3D imagin…
This dissertation relates to the transition of the state of the art of swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) systems to a new realm in which the image acquisition speed is improved by an order of magnitude. With the aid of a better quality imaging technology, the speed-up factor will considerably shorten the eye-exam clinical visits which in turn improves the patient and doctor interaction experience. These improvements will directly lower associated medical costs for eye-clinics and patients worldwide. There are several other embodiments closely related to Optical Coherence Tomog…
We demonstrate in vivo endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging in the forward direction using a flexible fiber bundle. In comparison to current conventional forward looking probe schemes, our approach simplifies the endoscope design by avoiding the integration of any beam steering components in the distal probe end due to 2D scanning of a focused light beam over the proximal fiber bundle surface. We describe the challenges that arise when OCT imaging with a fiber bundle is performed, such as multimoding or cross-coupling. The performance of different fiber bundles with varying pa…
Imaging airway tissue, optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides cross-sectional images of tissue structures, shows cilia movement and mucus secretion, but does not provide sufficient contrast to differentiate individual cells. By using fast sequences of microscopic resolution OCT (mOCT) images, OCT can picture small signal fluctuations (dynamic) OCT and overcomes the lack in contrast caused by speckle noise. In this way, OCT visualizes airway morphology on a cellular level and allows to track the dynamic behavior of immune cells, as well as mucus transport and secretion. Here, we demonstrat…
