Advanced birefringence measurements in standard terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

Polarization-sensitive (PS) terahertz (THz) technology can be used for investigating anisotropic materials that are opaque for visible light. A full characterization of an anisotropic material requires the extraction of the birefringence as well as the orientation of the optical axis from the measurement data. We present an approach based on THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) that exploits the spectral content of the THz signal for determining these two parameters from only two measurements. In contrast to an earlier approach with a more sophisticated PS-THz system and quasi-circularly polarized THz radiation, now a simple standard THz-TDS system can be employed. After a description of the mathematical model for data analysis we demonstrate the applicability of our method for a lithium niobate crystal and furthermore for a glass-fiber reinforced polymer sample, for which the orientation of the optical axis and birefringence are obtained in a spatially resolved way, showing the potential of the method also for PS-THz imaging. As no specialized setup or components are required, our approach can be easily and extensively applied for the analysis of anisotropic samples at THz frequencies.

Deblurring algorithms accounting for the finite detector size in photoacoustic tomography.

Most reconstruction algorithms for photoacoustic tomography, like back projection or time reversal, work ideally for point-like detectors. For real detectors, which integrate the pressure over their finite size, images reconstructed by these algorithms show some blurring. Iterative reconstruction algorithms using an imaging matrix can take the finite size of real detectors directly into account, but the numerical effort is significantly higher compared to the use of direct algorithms. For spherical or cylindrical detection surfaces, the blurring caused by a finite detector size is proportional to the distance from the rotation center (spin blur) and is equal to the detector size at the detection surface. In this work, we apply deconvolution algorithms to reduce this type of blurring on simulated and on experimental data. Two particular deconvolution methods are compared, which both utilize the fact that a representation of the blurred image in polar coordinates decouples pixels at different radii from the rotation center. Experimental data have been obtained with a flat, rectangular piezoelectric detector measuring signals around a plastisol cylinder containing various small photoacoustic sources with variable distance from the center. Both simulated and experimental results demonstrate a nearly complete elimination of spin blur.

Broadband high-frequency measurement of ultrasonic attenuation of tissues and liquids.

The ongoing expansion of the frequency range used for ultrasonic imaging requires increasing attention to the acoustic attenuation of biomaterials. This work presents a novel method for measuring the attenuation of tissue and liquids in vitro on the basis of single transmission measurements. Ultrasound was generated by short laser pulses directed onto a silicon wafer. In addition, unfocused piezoelectric transducers with a center frequency of 50 MHz were used to detect and emit ultrasound. The laser ultrasound method produces signals with a peak frequency of 30 MHz. In comparison to piezoelectric generation, pulse laser excitation provides approximately 4 times higher amplitudes and 20% larger bandwidth. By using two excitation methods in succession, the attenuation parameters of porcine fat samples with thicknesses in the range of 1.5 to 20 mm could be determined quantitatively within a total frequency range of 5 to 45 MHz. The setup for liquid measurements was tested on samples of human blood and olive oil. Our results are in good agreement with reports in literature.