Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography at new depth.

Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography (UOT) has the potential to reveal optical contrast deep inside soft biological tissues at an ultrasonically determined spatial resolution. The optical imaging depth reported so far has, however, been limited, which prevents this technique from broader applications. Our latest experimental exploration has pushed UOT to an unprecedented imaging depth. We developed and optimized a UOT system employing a photorefractive crystal-based interferometer. A large aperture optical fiber bundle was used to enhance the efficiencies for diffuse light collection and photorefractive two-wave-mixing. Within the safety limits for both laser illumination and ultrasound modulation, the system has attained the ability to image through a tissue-mimicking phantom of 9.4 cm in thickness, which has never been reached previously by UOT.