title: Parallel acoustic delay lines for photoacoustic tomography.
abstract: Achieving real-time photoacoustic (PA) tomography typically requires multi-element ultrasound transducer arrays and their associated multiple data acquisition (DAQ) electronics to receive PA waves simultaneously. We report the first demonstration of a photoacoustic tomography (PAT) system using optical fiber-based parallel acoustic delay lines (PADLs). By employing PADLs to introduce specific time delays, the PA signals (on the order of a few micro seconds) can be forced to arrive at the ultrasonic transducers at different times. As a result, time-delayed PA signals in multiple channels can be ultimately received and processed in a serial manner with a single-element transducer, followed by single-channel DAQ electronics. Our results show that an optically absorbing target in an optically scattering medium can be photoacoustically imaged using the newly developed PADL-based PAT system. Potentially, this approach could be adopted to significantly reduce the complexity and cost of ultrasonic array receiver systems.
authors.affiliation: Khalifa University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
authors.forename: Murat Kaya
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Yapici
authors.forename: Chulhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Cheng-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Mansik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Zijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Lihong V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D055100:Optical Fibers; D055620:Optical Phenomena; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D061088:Photoacoustic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014159:Transducers; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data