Method and system for imaging objects in turbid media using diffusive fermat photons

A system for imaging an object located in a turbid medium, said system comprising:

• (a) means for illuminating the object through the turbid medium with a pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light consisting of a ballistic component, a snake-like component and a diffusive component, said diffusive component including Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons;
• (b) means for gating the emergent light from the turbid medium to preferentially select Fermat photons;
• and
• (c) means for forming an image of the object using the gated light.

A method of generating a tomographic map of a turbid medium, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) illuminating the turbid medium with a first pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a first most favorable path;
• (b) illuminating the turbid medium with a second pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a second most favorable path, said first most favorable path and said second most favorable path intersecting at a point within the turbid medium;
• (c) gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said first pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons;
• (d) gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said second pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons;
• and
• (e) using the photons gated in steps (c) and (d) to generate a tomographic map of the turbid medium.

A system for generating a tomographic map of a turbid medium, said system comprising:

• (a) means for illuminating the turbid medium with a first pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consists of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a first most favorable path;
• (b) means for illuminating the turbid medium with a second pulse of light, whereby light emerges from the turbid medium, the emergent light from the turbid medium consists of a ballistic component, a snake component and a diffusive component, the diffusive component comprising Fermat photons and non-Fermat photons, at least some of the Fermat photons having traveled through the turbid medium along a second most favorable path, said first most favorable path and said second most favorable path intersecting at a point within turbid medium;
• (c) means for gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said first pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons;
• (d) means for gating the emergent light from the turbid medium attributable to said second pulse of light so as to preferentially select therefrom Fermat photons;
• and
• (e) means for generating a tomographic map of the turbid medium using the Fermat photons detected in steps (c) and (d).