Spectral selection for OCT

Researcher: Dr Ramona Cernat
Supervisor: Dr George Dobre
Project Funding: EPSRC

Project outline

This project, led by Dr George Dobre, include the investigation of Fourier Domain OCT (FD-OCT) measurements with light from a supercontinuum fibre source in a broad band spanning a wavelength range from 0.45 to 1.7 microns. This was carried out by an EPSRC-funded Postdoctoral Research Associate, Ramona Cernat.

Narrower wavebands (regions A, B, C, D) were isolated at the output of a dichroic and bandpass optical filter unit in Gaussian-like wavebands and their suitability for use in OCT was evaluated. Preliminary results suggest depth resolutions of 2 microns are achievable from light in region B. This is expected to lead to more ways of acquiring non-invasive depth resolved spectroscopic information.

A S-FD-OCT platform with a CCD array in the range up to 1 microns and a parallel investigation of the performance of an array of individual detectors provides the means for fast recovery of spectroscopic signatures from embedded layers. These avenues are currently tested on suitable phantoms and their application is expected to further our understanding of functional in vivo depth resolved fluorescence and spectroscopy. Other applications such as the imaging of the propagation of dye in tissue in real time and also from an entire volume of data may be considered, which would lead to novel research in functional volume investigations, high resolution microscopy cell visualization and embryology.