Ervin Goldfain. Optical biopsy with long-range nondiffracting beams
Natural Sciences / Engineering Sciences / Engineering other
Submitted on: Apr 14, 2022, 06:20:06
Description: Most current configurations for optical biopsy contain fiber optic bundles at both the delivery and receiving ends of the optical system. Some layouts include distal lenses to either collimate or focus the incident light at various depth locations across the tissue. The inherent beam divergence, along with the highly scattering nature ofthe living tissue, are known to limit the penetration depth ofthe probe and the spatial or temporal resolution ofthe detected signal. In this work we study a novel modality for tissue illumination based on the use oflong-range nondiffracting beams (LRNB). LRNB represent narrow-width light pencils with a constant or linearly varying axial intensity that propagate over large distances without diffractive spreading. Recent tests have demonstrated that LRNB exhibit insignificant intensity distortions when operated as beacon beams through atmospheric turbulence. Our numerical and software simulations show that LRNB may offer the potential for larger penetration depth and enhanced contrast over setups using conventional laser beams. Clinical applications include diagnosis, laser surgery and photodynamic therapy.