Methods and systems for integrated imaging using optical coherence tomography and photoacoustic imaging

1. A method for photoacoustic imaging comprising:

exciting, through delivery of a laser onto a body, photoacoustic signals from the body;

detecting the excited photoacoustic signals that have propagated to the surface of the body with a low coherence interferometer system serving as a noncontact photoacoustic detector, wherein the photoacoustic signals are directed into a photodetector of the low coherence interferometer system; and

reconstructing cross-sectional images of the body from the detected photoacoustic signals.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting the photoacoustic signals with a low coherence interferometer system comprises detecting with an optical coherence tomography system.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the optical coherence tomography system comprises a probe beam, and the detecting comprises:

focusing the probe beam onto the surface of the body; and

detecting transient motion of the surface of the body resulting from the photoacoustic signals excited from the body.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the detecting further comprises:

treating the body with a layer of substantially transparent liquid material to facilitate detection of the photoacoustic signals.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein detecting the photoacoustic signals further comprises:

increasing a detection bandwidth for each of the photoacoustic signals by decreasing the size of the probe beam of the optical coherence tomography system.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the optical coherence tomography system further comprises a dichroic mirror that directs the probe beam and the laser beam at the body.

7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

generating images of the body using optical coherence tomography; and

co-registering images of the body using optical coherence tomography with the cross-sectional images of the body from the detected photoacoustic signals.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the optical coherence tomography system is a time domain optical coherence tomography system operating in a homodyne mode, and wherein the time domain optical coherence tomography system comprises a light source in communication with a nonreciprocal optical element and a fiber coupler.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the photodetector is a balanced photodetector and wherein detecting the photoacoustic signals further comprises:

coupling output electric signals from the nonreciprocal optical element and the fiber coupler into the balanced photodetector to reject noise from the photoacoustic signals.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

sending a trigger signal to a data acquisition unit for sampling the photoacoustic signals and to an excitation laser for delivering a laser beam to the body when a DC output signal from the balanced photodector crosses a threshold.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting the photoacoustic signals further comprises:

increasing a detection bandwidth for each of the photoacoustic signals by increasing the speed of the photodetector of the optical coherence tomography system.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the photoacoustic signals further comprises:

sending the photoacoustic signals to a data acquisition unit.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the photoacoustic signals further comprises:

separating the photoacoustic signals from residual ambient vibrations via a high-pass filter.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

deriving a corresponding photoacoustic pressure from a detected photoacoustic signal of the detected photoacoustic signals.

15. A system for noncontact photoacoustic imaging comprising:

an optical coherence tomography probe;

a laser configured to excite photoacoustic signals from a sample;

a nonreciprocal optical element;

a photodetector; and

a coupler configured to couple and send the photoacoustic signals that have propagated to the surface of the sample and reflected light to the photodetector;

wherein the photodetector is connected with a data acquisition unit and a computing system for image reconstruction of the sample from the photoacoustic signals.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the system comprises a time domain optical coherence tomography system operating in a homodyne mode.

17. A physical computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a device to cause the device to perform functions comprising:

exciting, through delivery of an excitation laser onto a body, photoacoustic signals from the body;

detecting the photoacoustic signals that have propagated to the surface of the body with an optical coherence tomography system, wherein the optical coherence tomography system serves as a noncontact photoacoustic detector;

reconstructing cross-sectional images of the body from the detected photoacoustic signals.

18. The physical computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the functions further comprise:

combining a probe beam and the excitation laser with a dichroic mirror;

focusing the probe beam onto the surface of the body;

focusing the excitation laser into the body; and

detecting transient motion of the surface of the body resulting from the photoacoustic signals emitted from within the body.

19. The physical computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the functions further comprise:

focusing the probe beam and the excitation laser by a first lens and a second lens.

20. The physical computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the optical coherence tomography system is a time domain optical coherence tomography system operating in a homodyne mode and comprising a light source, an optical circulator, and a fiber coupler.