Non-invasive optical detection system and method of multiple-scattered light with swept source illumination

A non-invasive optical measurement system, comprising:

• an optical source configured for sweeping a source light over a range of optical wavelengths during each of at least one measurement period;
• an interferometer configured for splitting the source light into sample light and reference light, delivering the sample light into an anatomical structure, such that the sample light is scattered by the anatomical structure, resulting in physiological-encoded signal light that exits the anatomical structure, and combining, during each of the at least one measurement period, the physiological-encoded signal light and the reference light into an interference light pattern having an array of spatial components and a plurality of oscillation frequency components, the plurality of oscillation frequency components respectively encoded with a plurality of different depths of the anatomical structure;
• an optical detector array configured for detecting intensity values of the array of spatial components of the interference light pattern during each of the at least one measurement period;
• and
• a processor configured for sequentially deriving an array of intensity values of each oscillation frequency component of the interference light pattern over the optical detector array from the detected spatial component intensity value array of the interference light pattern during the at least one measurement period, reducing each derived oscillation frequency component intensity value array to a single frequency component intensity value, and determining a depth of a physiological event in the anatomical structure, at least partially, based on the reduced frequency component intensity values.