Technologies for Photon Migration Measurements

Visidyne proposes an effort leading to improved tools for measuring the subsurface spatial structure and chemistry of highly turbid media such as mammalian tissue. The technology uses optical photon density waves from laser sources, intensity modulated at microwave frequencies to probe these media. By measuring the amplitude and phase of the scattered light as a function of separation distances and frequency, the desired properties of tissue can be inferred. The laser technologies developed over the years at Phillips Laboratory are expected to be important to the proposed effort. These technologies combined with Visidyne's expertise in the field of low cost digital high resolution amplitude phase process should lead to improved sensors for clinically important measurements in vivo.| Benefits: The proposed technology is expected to have substantial potential whenever optical turbid media are involved. Examples are measuring solvent contamination in soils, controlling processes in bioreactors, and probing dense atmospheric clouds and fogs, and of course, the medical arena.|