Fourier-domain holographic optical coherence imaging of tumor spheroids and mouse eye.

Fourier-domain holography (FDH) has several advantages over image-domain holography for optical coherence imaging of tissue. Writing the hologram in the Fourier plane significantly reduces background arising from reference light scattered from the photorefractive holographic film. The ability to use FDH is enhanced by the use of a diffuse target, such as scattering tissue, rather than specular targets, because the broader angular distribution from diffuse targets is transformed into a relatively uniform distribution in the Fourier plane. We demonstrate significantly improved performance for Fourier-domain optical coherence imaging on rat osteogenic sarcoma tumor spheroids and mouse eye. The sensitivity is documented at -95 dB.