Measuring optical temperature coefficients of Intralipid.

The temperature sensitivities of absorption and reduced scattering coefficients in the range 700-1000 nm are determined for the liquid phantom Intralipid using spatially resolved continuous wave measurements. The measurements were conducted on a 10 L heated volume of 1% Intralipid subjected to a 40-30 degrees C cooling regime. The temperature sensitivities of the absorbance coefficients are similar to that expected for pure water. However, the reduced scattering coefficients are more sensitive than can be explained by temperature related density changes, and show an unexpected relationship with wavelength. We have also found that temperature perturbations provide a useful means to evaluate instrument model performance.