Particle size analysis in a turbid media with a single-fiber, optical probe while using a visible spectrometer
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsMurat Canpolat, Judith R. Mourant
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for measuring scatterer size in a dense media with only a single fiber for both light delivery and collection are disclosed. White light is used as a source and oscillations of the detected light intensities are measured as a function of wavelength. The maximum and minimum of the oscillations can be used to determine scatterer size for monodisperse distributions of spheres when the refractive indices are known. In addition several properties of the probe relevant to tissue diagnosis are disclosed including the effects of absorption, a broad distribution of scatterers, and the depth probed.
Claims23
A method of measuring scatterer size in a turbid medium comprising the steps of:
- obtaining an optical probe comprising a single optical fiber that is optically coupled to a light source and optically coupled to a spectrograph;
- introducing light from the light source to the optical probe such that the light passes from the optical probe to a sample of the turbid medium;
- collecting light scattered by the turbid medium with the optical probe and transmitting said collected light from the optical probe to the spectrograph;
- measuring the collected light with the spectrograph to determine an elastic scatter signal spectrum of the turbid medium;
- counting the number of oscillations in the elastic scatter signal spectrum;
- and determining the scatterer size as a function of the number of oscillations.
A method of measuring particle size of a scatterer in a turbid medium comprising the steps of:
- obtaining an elastic scatter signal spectrum of the turbid medium;
- counting the number of oscillations in the elastic scatter signal spectrum of the turbid medium within a predetermined wavelength range;
- and
- determining the scatterer size as a function of the number of oscillations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.