Open AccessRemitted photon path lengths in human skin: in-vivo measurement data
Author(s) -
Vanesa Lukinsone,
Anna Maslobojeva,
Uldis Rubīns,
M. Kuzminskis,
Martins Osis,
Jānis Spīgulis
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.388349
Subject(s) - path length , optics , photon , picosecond , optical path length , wavelength , fiber , optical path , deconvolution , absorption (acoustics) , materials science , physics , pulse (music) , optical fiber , laser , detector , composite material
The remitted photon path lengths in human skin can be estimated by modelling; however, there are very few experimental data available to validate the simulations. This study exploited the photon time of flight method where picosecond laser pulses at seven wavelength bands in the spectral range 560-800 nm were launched into in-vivo forearm skin of 10 volunteers via an optical fiber. The pulses of back-scattered light were detected via another optical fiber placed at variable distance (1, 8, 12, 16 or 20 mm) from the input fiber, with subsequent analysis of their shapes for all 35 spectral-spatial combinations. Using a deconvolution algorithm, the distribution functions of remitted photon arrival times after infinitely narrow input pulse were calculated and transformed into distributions of skin-remitted photon path lengths. Nearly linear dependences of the remitted photon mean path length on inter-fiber distance were obtained for all wavelength bands, while the spectral dependences at fixed inter-fiber distances showed more complicated character, most probably due to absorption of the dermal hemoglobin.