This article is cited in 23 papers

Laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics

Characterisation of optically cleared paper by optical coherence tomography

T. Fabritius, E. Alarousu, T. Prykäri, J. Hast, R. A. Myllylä

Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Optoelectronics and Measurement Techniques Laboratory, University of Oulu, Finland

Abstract: Due to the highly light scattering nature of paper, the imaging depth of optical methods such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) is limited. In this work, we study the effect of refractive index matching on improving the imaging depth of OCT in paper. To this end, four different refractive index matching liquids (ethanol, 1-pentanol, glycerol and benzyl alcohol) with a refraction index between 1.359 and 1.538 were used in experiments. Low coherent light transmission was studied in commercial copy paper sheets, and the results indicate that benzyl alcohol offers the best improvement in imaging depth, while also being sufficiently stable for the intended purpose. Constructed cross-sectional images demonstrate visually that the imaging depth of OCT is considerably improved by optical clearing. Both surfaces of paper sheets can be detected along with information about the sheet's inner structure.

PACS: 42.62.Cf, 42.30.Wb, 05.10.Ln

Received: 19.08.2005
Revised: 27.10.2005

 English version: Quantum Electronics, 2006, 36:2, 181–187

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