Dual-spatial integration for longitudinal localization of inclusions in turbid media

We introduce a technique called dual-spatial integration (DSI) that is used to isolate and enhance inclusions that differ only by their longitudinal p lacement within a scattering medium. DSI uses three different source-detect or configurations to section a scattering medium into three longitudinal zo nes. This sectioning permits the extraction of structures close to surfaces and the enhancement of those structures located in the central part of the medium. Both the simulation and the experimental results indicate that DSI has potential interest for applications in biomedical imaging such as opti cal mammography. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 170.5280, 170.3830, 170.7050, 170.3880, 170.6920.