title: Signal-to-noise analysis of biomedical photoacoustic measurements in time and frequency domains.
abstract: Sensitivity analysis of photoacoustic measurements is conducted using estimates of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) achieved under two different modes of optical excitation. The standard pulsed time-domain photoacoustic imaging is compared to the frequency-domain counterpart with a modulated optical source. The feasibility of high-SNR continuous wave depth-resolved photoacoustics with frequency-swept (chirp) modulation pattern has been demonstrated. Utilization of chirped modulation waveforms achieves dramatic SNR increase of the periodic signals and preserves axial resolution comparable to the time-domain method. Estimates of the signal-to-noise ratio were obtained using typical parameters of piezoelectric transducers and optical properties of tissue.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Diffusion Wave Technologies (CADIFT), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8 Canada.
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Telenkov
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mandelis
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012867:Skin; D013997:Time Factors; D014159:Transducers