title: High-numerical-aperture-based virtual point detectors for photoacoustic tomography.
abstract: The focal point of a high-numerical-aperture (NA) ultrasonic transducer can be used as a virtual point detector. This virtual point detector detects omnidirectionally over a wide acceptance angle. It also combines a large active transducer surface and a small effective virtual detector size. Thus the sensitivity is high compared with that of a real point detector, and the aperture effect is small compared with that of a finite size transducer. We present two kinds of high-NA-based virtual point detectors and their successful application in photoacoustic tomography. They can also be applied in other ultrasound-related fields.
authors.affiliation: Optical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering Washington University in St.Louis, St.Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Changhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lihong V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Wang