DESIGN AND TESTING OF A WHITE-LIGHT, STEADY-STATE DIFFUSE-REFLECTANCESPECTROMETER FOR DETERMINATION OF OPTICAL-PROPERTIES OF HIGHLY SCATTERING SYSTEMS

We present a steady-state radially resolved diffuse reflectance spectr ometer capable of measuring the absorption and transport scattering sp ectra of tissue-simulating phantoms over an adjustable 170-nm waveleng th interval in the visible and near infrared. Measurements in a variet y of phantoms are demonstrated over the relevant range of tissue optic al properties, and the accuracy of the instrument is found to be appro ximately 10% in both scattering and absorption. Monte Carlo simulation s designed to test the accuracy of the instrument are presented that s upport the experimental findings. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America