title: Slow-sound photoacoustic microscopy.
abstract: We propose to enhance the axial resolution of photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) by reducing the speed of sound within the imaging region of interest. With silicone oil immersion, we have achieved a finest axial resolution of 5.8μm for PAM, as validated by phantom experiments. The axial resolution was also enhancedin vivowhen mouse ears injected with silicone oil were imaged. When tissue-compatible low-speed liquid becomes available, this approach may find broad applications in PAM as well as in other imaging modalities, such as photoacoustic computed tomography and ultrasound imaging.
authors.affiliation: Optical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Chiye
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lihong V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Wang