Equivalence of four Monte Carlo methods for photon migration in turbid media

Abstract

In the field of photon migration in turbid media, different Monte Carlo methods are usually employed to solve the radiative transfer equation. We consider four different Monte Carlo methods, widely used in the field of tissue optics, that are based on four different ways to build photons' trajectories. We provide both theoretical arguments and numerical results showing the statistical equivalence of the four methods. In the numerical results we compare the temporal point spread functions calculated by the four methods for a wide range of the optical properties in the slab and semi-infinite medium geometry. The convergence of the methods is also briefly discussed.