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A model of optical coherence tomography image formation based on Maxwell's equations

The majority of existing models of image formation in optical coherence tomography make simplifying assumptions. For example, those based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel formalism make the first-order Born approximation and consider ensemble average, rather than deterministic, scatterer distributions. Monte Carlo solutions of the radiative transport equation also consider ensemble average scatterer distributions and do not explicitly model interferometric detection. Although such models have been successful in answering many questions, there is a growing number of applications where the ability to predict image formation based upon a full wave treatment is needed, including, for example, image formation in turbid tissue. Such a rigorous model of image formation, based upon three-dimensional solutions of Maxwell's equations offers a number of tantalising opportunities. For example, shedding light on image formation for features near or below the resolution of an optical coherence tomography system, allowing for full wave inverse scattering methods to be developed and providing gold standard verification of quantitative imaging techniques. We have developed the first such model and will present simulated B-scans and C-scans, the principal features of our model, and comparisons of experimental and simulated image formation for phantoms.