UC Irvine

Optical inhomogeneities embedded in a turbid medium are characterized not only by their absorption and reduced scattering coefficients, but also by their index of refraction relative to the background medium. Although in diffusion theory it is impossible to separate the index of refraction from the absorption and reduced scattering coefficients in an infinite homogeneous medium, application of boundary conditions for an inhomogeneity adds enough information to separately determine these optical properties. A mismatched index of refraction affects diffuse photon propagation in two ways: photons travel at a different speed inside the inhomogeneity, and photons entering and leaving the inhomogeneity are influenced by Fresnel reflections at the surface of the object. We have integrated these two effects into the analytical solution to the diffusion equation for a cylinder in an infinite medium. Theoretical results are compared with experimental data, and the effect of index of refraction mismatch is evaluated for different combinations of optical properties.