title: Characterization and Analysis of Relative Intensity Noise in Broadband Optical Sources for Optical Coherence Tomography.
abstract: Relative intensity noise (RIN) is one of the most significant factors limiting the sensitivity of an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. The existing and prevalent theory being used for estimating RIN for various light sources in OCT is questionable, and cannot be applied uniformly for different types of sources. The origin of noise in various sources differs significantly, owing to the different physical nature of photon generation. In this study, we characterize and compare RIN of several OCT light sources including superluminescent diodes (SLDs), an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, multiplexed SLDs, and a continuous-wave laser. We also report a method for reduction of RIN by amplifying the SLD light output by using a gain-saturated semiconductor optical amplifier.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801 USA.
authors.forename: Sunghwan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Utkarsh
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Haohua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Woonggyu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Boppart
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