Characterization of laser ultrasound source signals in biological tissues for imaging applications

Jonathan R. Fincke; Charles M. Wynn; Rob Haupt; Xiang Zhang; Diego Rivera; Brian Anthony

doi:10.1117/1.JBO.24.2.021206

8 December 2018 Characterization of laser ultrasound source signals in biological tissues for imaging applications

Jonathan R. Fincke, Charles M. Wynn, Rob Haupt, Xiang Zhang, Diego Rivera, Brian Anthony

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Journal of Biomedical Optics, Vol. 24, Issue 2, 021206 (December 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.24.2.021206

Abstract

Short optical pulses emitted from a tunable Q-switched laser (800 to 2000 nm) generate laser ultrasound (LUS) signals at the surface of biological tissue. The LUS signal’s acoustic frequency content, dependence on sample type, and optical wavelength are observed in the far field. The experiments yield a reference dataset for the design of noncontact LUS imaging systems. Measurements show that the majority of LUS signal energy in biological tissues is within the 0.5 and 3 MHz frequency bands and the total acoustic energy generated increases with the optical absorption coefficient of water, which governs tissue optical absorption in the infrared range. The experimental results also link tissue surface roughness and acoustic attenuation with limited LUS signal bandwidth in biological tissue. Images constructed using 810-, 1064-, 1550-, and 2000-nm generation laser wavelengths and a contact piezoelectric receiver demonstrates the impact of the generation laser wavelength on image quality. A noncontact LUS-based medical imaging system has the potential to be an effective medical imaging device. Such a system may mitigate interoperator variability associated with current medical ultrasound imaging techniques and expand the scope of imaging applications for ultrasound.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

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Jonathan R. Fincke, Charles M. Wynn, Rob Haupt, Xiang Zhang, Diego Rivera, and Brian Anthony "Characterization of laser ultrasound source signals in biological tissues for imaging applications," Journal of Biomedical Optics 24(2), 021206 (8 December 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.24.2.021206

Received: 25 April 2018; Accepted: 7 November 2018; Published: 8 December 2018

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