Photothermal diffusion-wave imaging is a promising technique for non-destructive evaluation and medical applications. Several diffusion-wave techniques have been developed to produce depth-resolved planar images of solids and to overcome imaging depth and image blurring limitations imposed by the physics of parabolic diffusion waves. Truncated-Correlation Photothermal Coherence Tomography (TC-PCT) is the most successful class of these methodologies to-date providing 3-D subsurface visualization with maximum depth penetration and high axial and lateral resolution. To extend the depth range and axial and lateral resolution, an in-depth analysis of TC-PCT, a novel imaging system with improved instrumentation, and an optimized reconstruction algorithm over the original TC-PCT technique is developed. Thermal waves produced by a laser chirped pulsed heat source in a finite thickness solid and the image reconstruction algorithm are investigated from the theoretical point of view. 3-D visualization of subsurface defects utilizing the new TC-PCT system is reported. The results demonstrate that this method is able to detect subsurface defects at the depth range of ∼4 mm in a steel sample, which exhibits dynamic range improvement by a factor of 2.6 compared to the original TC-PCT. This depth does not represent the upper limit of the enhanced TC-PCT. Lateral resolution in the steel sample was measured to be ∼31 μm.

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Development of accurate and sensitive dental imaging technologies is a top priority in the pursuit of high-quality dental care. However, while early dental caries detection and routine monitoring of treatment progress are crucial for effective long-term results, current radiographic technologies fall short of this objective due to low sensitivity for small lesions and use of ionizing radiation which is unsuitable for frequent monitoring. Here we demonstrate the first application of enhanced Truncated Correlation-Photothermal Coherence Tomography (eTC-PCT) to dental imaging. eTC-PCT is non-invasive and non-ionizing, operates well below the maximum permissible exposure (MPE) limit, and features 3D subsurface imaging capability with operator controlled axial resolution. We explore the potential of this method for dental applications and demonstrate its capability for depth-resolved tomographic 3D reconstructions of the details and subsurface extent of a variety of dental defects. To this end, in this proof-of-concept study, dental eTC-PCT imaging results, and its sensitivity to dental caries, are discussed in comparison with visual examination, x-rays and micro-CT imaging.

Photoacoustic imaging is a hybrid imaging technique that combines many of the merits of both optical and ultrasound imaging. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) has been hypothesized as a technique for imaging neonatal brain. However, PAI of the brain is more challenging than traditional methods (e.g. near infrared spectroscopy) due to the presence of the skull layer.To evaluate the potential limits the skull places on 3D PAI of the neonatal brain, we constructed a neonatal skull phantom (~1.52-mm thick) with a mixture of epoxy and titanium dioxide powder that provided acoustic insertion loss (1-5MHz) similar to human infant skull bone. The phantom was molded into a realistic infant skull shape by means of a CNCmachined mold that was based upon a 3D CAD model. Then, propagation of photoacoustic (PA) signals through the skull phantom was examined. A photoacoustic point source was raster-scanned within the imaging cavity of a 128-channel PAI system to capture the imaging operator with and without the intervening skull phantom layer. Then, effects of the skull phantom on PA signals and consequently on PA images was evaluated in detail. We captured 3D photoacoustic images of tubes filled with indocyanine green (ICG). The system was capable of reconstructing an image of a tube filled with 50 µM ICG in presence of the skull.Image processing method was developed to correct photoacoustic images from the effects of the skull. The method was tested on an image of an object captured through the skull, which demonstrated that the effects of the skull on PA images are predictable and modifiable.

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