Scan-less optically computed optical coherence tomography using a spatial light modulator

A method for optically computed optical coherence tomography (OC-OCT), comprising:

• performing depth-resolved imaging in 3D space by using an optically computer optical coherence tomography(OC-OCT) to observe a structure and a dynamics of an object noninvasively inside a patient or a sample;
• allowing an optical computation of a Fourier transform of an interferometric spectra to reconstruct the depth resolved image before image data acquisition;
• using a spatial light modulator (SLM) to manipulate a light wave to generate output with a desired amplitude and phase for computation and to produce a scan-less three dimensional (3D) OCT image;
• wherein the optical computation of the Fourier transform further includes modulating the interferometric spectra with the SLM that is programmable, and spectrally non-discriminative detection of the object by integrating optical energy from all wavelengths of the interferometric spectra modulated by the SLM for visualizing neural activity and blood flow dynamics of the object inside the patient or the sample;
• allowing modification of the SLM for a cosine pattern and a sine pattern to be projected to the SLM;
• temporally interlacing the cosine pattern and the sine pattern for spectral modulation;
• synchronizing data acquisition with alternation of the cosine pattern and the sine pattern, acquiring signals from cosine and sine channels and extracting a magnitude of OC-OCT signal;
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• wherein the OC-OCT system eliminates mechanical scanning in tomographic imaging and performs computation optically of the image without requiring transfer of image data into a computer to perform computation tasks for image reconstruction and data analysis;
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• performing fast imaging in a snap-shot manner in the en face plane that is orthogonal to the direction of light propagation or in an oblique plane of the patient or the sample.