EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE-PASSAGE PROBABILITIES ON FLUORESCENT SIGNALS FROMBIOLOGICAL MEDIA

By applying a random-walk model for photon migration, we find an exact expression for fluorescent signals emitted from a homogeneous, optica lly turbid medium containing a single fluorescent mass. In contrast to diffusion-theory-based models, our analysis accounts for multiple pho ton passages through the fluorophore sites and allows for a variable d egree of fluorescent absorptivity. We particularly discuss effects on the amplitudes and phase shifts of frequency-domain fluorescent signal s. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.