Animated simulation of light transport in tissues

Abstract

Time-resolved light transport in composite tissues is simulated using the Monte Carlo technique. Snapshots of spatial distributions of physical quantities, including light absorption rate, light fluence rate, and diffuse reflectance rate, are presented. Such multiple snapshots with a given time interval can be shown sequentially to achieve an animation effect. This animated simulation is a tool that aids in the general understanding of light transport in tissues. For example, the simulation of time-resolved spatial distribution of light fluence rate inside a tissue illustrates how fast light is dispersed inside tissues. The simulation of diffuse reflectance rate as a function of time of a short-pulsed laser incident upon a piece of tissue containing a buried object shows that early reflected light does not carry imaging information of the object. The imaging quality of the object can thus be improved by rejecting the early-arriving reflected light.