OCT using spectrally resolved bandwidth

A method for studying an object by optical tomographic instrumentation comprising the steps of:

• providing a spectrally resolved bandwidth of light equivalent to a plurality of spectrally resolvable cells by an optical tomographic instrumentation including a light source coupled to a source path, a reference path, a sample path, and a detection path;
• and analyzing the light in the detection path that has reflected from the object in the sample path and the light reflected from the reference path based on the polarization, space, position or angle domain, and imaging an optical coherence tomography A-scan for the object being imaged by selecting the ratio of Ninstrument/NA-scan=Δτinstrument/ΔτA-scan for the polarization, space, position or angle domain.

A method for studying an object with a multi-fiber angle-domain optical coherence tomography system comprising the steps of producing light from a frequency swept source coupled to a source path, a reference path, a sample path, and a detection path;

• and analyzing the light in the detection path that has reflected from the object in the sample path and the light that has reflected from the reference path based on the angle domain, splitting the output of the frequency swept source into a plurality of fibers through a splitter and a circulator and outputting to the sample path and the reference path in each of the plurality of fibers, wherein the plurality of fibers include at least one sample path to the object and a reference reflector at the terminal end of each of the plurality of fibers;
• and forming at least one of an interference fringe from each of the plurality of fibers corresponding to an incident angle (αi) and a backscattered angle (βj,) and a light intensity in the spectral domain that is converted to a voltage through a photoreceiver.