title: Interference of diffusive light waves.
abstract: We examine interference effects resulting from the superposition of photon-density waves produced by coherently modulated light incident upon a turbid medium. Photon-diffusion theory is used to derive expressions for the ac magnitude and phase of the aggregate diffusive wave produced in full- and half-space volumes by two sources. Using a frequency-domain spectrometer operating at 410 MHz, we verify interference patterns predicted by the model in scattering samples having optical properties similar to those of skin tissue. Potential imaging applications of interfering diffusive waves are discussed in the context of the theoretical and experimental results.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation Program, National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Knüttel
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Knutson
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013053:Spectrophotometry