Biophysical applications of photoacoustics
Keywords:
Photoacoustic, spectroscopy, biophysicsAbstract
This paper shows different applications of photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) to medicine.
Typical PAS experimental set-up includes a xenon lamp, monochromator, optical modulator,
optical fiber, lock-in amplifier, photoacoustic cell and PC. With this equipment it is possible to
obtain, among other things, the optical absorption spectrum in several tissues which is useful;
for example, in selecting the most appropriate laser for photo-stimulation, in healing process.
Through PAS it is possible to know some physical properties of tissues such as the thermal
diffusivity and the optical absorption coefficient. The aim of this paper is to present diverse
applications of PAS in the medical field. PAS is a relatively new technique, non-invasive and
non-ionizing, with the advantage of minimum or no preparation of the studied sample.
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