DETERMINATION OF THE SCATTERING COEFFICIENT AND THE ANISOTROPY FACTORFROM LASER-DOPPLER SPECTRA OF LIQUIDS INCLUDING BLOOD

Laser Doppler measurements were performed on scattering liquids flowin g through a highly scattering static medium to determine the scatterin g coefficient and the anisotropy factor of tile liquids. Monte Carlo s imulations of light propagation in the static and moving media were us ed to calculate the Doppler spectra or suspensions of polystyrene sphe res in water, and these spectra were in excellent agreement with exper imental results. A faster Monte Carlo code was developed so that nonli near regressions to the measured laser Doppler spectra could be used t o determine the anisotropy factor of other liquids. This approach was used to deduce the scattering properties of Intralipid and blood at la mbda = 820 nm. It was found that the anisotropy factor of blood is wel l described by Mie theory in contradiction to results reported in the literature that were obtained by goniometric measurement of the phase function. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America