Resolution below the point spread function for diffuse optical imaging using fluorescence lifetime multiplexing.
We show that asymptotic lifetime-based fluorescence tomography can localize multiple-lifetime targets separated well below the diffuse point spread function of a turbid medium. This is made possible due to a complete diagonalization of the time domain forward problem in the asymptotic limit. We also show that continuous wave or direct time gate approaches to fluorescence tomography are unable to achieve this separation, indicating the unique advantage of a decay-amplitude-based approach for tomographic lifetime multiplexing with time domain data.
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA.
William L
WL
Rice
Steven
S
Hou
Anand T N
AT
Kumar
D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence