MIBE Online Seminar: All-Optical Optoacoustic Imaging

Titel: All-Optical Optoacoustic Imaging

Sprecher: Okan Uelgen, GCB doctoral candidate (Ntziachristos Group)

Datum und Uhrzeit: Dienstag, 18. Januar 2022, 13:00 Uhr

Abstract: Optoacoustic imaging (OA) is a powerful imaging method that reveals high-resolution optical absorption information from deep diffusive tissue with acoustic wave propagation insensitive to scattering. The technique provides clinically useful anatomical and functional information from an extensive imaging depth range spanning several millimeters. Therefore, it requires highly sensitive and wideband ultrasound detectors as the size of the optical absorber is inversely proportional to the emitted acoustic bandwidth. Piezoelectric-based transducers are the gold standard for optoacoustic detection, but they have intrinsic technical and physical limitations that reduce image resolution and fidelity. Alternatively, optical detectors of ultrasound utilizing resonators can offer high axial & lateral resolution owing to their small size in the micrometer range because they can be miniaturized without significant loss of sensitivity. Moreover, they exhibit mechanical flexibility, optical transparency, and immunity to electrical interference. In parallel, optical detectors of ultrasound have been increasingly exploited as an alternative to conventional piezoelectric-based transducers, of which sensitivity depends strictly on the detection cross-section. In this talk, I will briefly explain the principles of all-optical optoacoustic imaging and give an overview of the state-of-the-art optical detectors of ultrasound, including some examples realized by our group.