Charles DiMarzio
Associate Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Biomedical imaging using the interaction of light and sound is a dual-wave sensing technique in which a diffusive photon field interacts with a suspension of particles driven to coherent periodic motion by an imposed acoustic field. We are developing new techniques with the ultimate goal of imaging inside human tissue. Acousto-Photonic Imaging (API) is a particular application of this interaction between light and sound. A phase-modulated photon field emanates from the interaction region and carries with it information about the opto-mechanical properties of the insonated media. A technological barrier to API has been sensitivity since the flux of phase-modulated photons is very small and the incoherence of the resulting speckle pattern mandates sensing at the single-speckle level. A possible solution to this problem is to use a photorefractive crystal-based interferometry system to provide a reference wavefront that is matched to the wavefront that is scattered from the specimen, thereby providing a means of coherent detection over multiple speckles.

There is a need of developing low-cost and effective test targets for pre-clinical testing of our new imaging methods. These targets have to resemble the optical properties as well as the acoustical properties of human tissue.

This research experience will involve the development and testing of test targets (phantoms) using liquid plastic. We will have to measure the acoustic speed inside these phantoms using basic laboratory equipment.

We will also explore the measurement of the optical properties of the phantom using Titanium dioxide to resemble the scaterring properties of human tissue.

With the experiments stated above, the students will explore the interaction of light and sound with human tissue and develop phantoms that will be of use in future experiments of the optical science laboratory.

We expect highly motivated individuals showing excitement while learning new disciplines related to engineering and physics.

Interest in physics, especially optics and acoustics. Interest in electronic laboratory equipment such as oscilloscopes, acoustic transducers, optical detectors.