Dependent scattering in Intralipid® phantoms in the 600-1850 nm range

• Published in: Optics express 2014-03, Vol.22 (5), p.6086-6098
• Main Authors: Aernouts, Ben, Van Beers, Robbe, Watté, Rodrigo, Lammertyn, Jeroen, Saeys, Wouter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1094-4087; 1094-4087
• DOI: 10.1364/OE.22.006086

The effect of dependent scattering on the bulk scattering properties of intralipid phantoms in the 600-1850 nm wavelength range has been investigated. A set of 57 liquid optical phantoms, covering a wide range of intralipid concentrations (1-100% v/v), was prepared and the bulk optical properties were accurately determined. The bulk scattering coefficient as a function of the particle density could be well described with Twersky's packing factor (R(2) > 0.990). A general model was elaborated taking into account the wavelength dependency and the effect of the concentration of scattering particles (R(2) = 0.999). Additionally, an empirical approach was followed to characterize the effect of dense packing of scattering particles on the anisotropy factor (R(2) = 0.992) and the reduced scattering coefficient (R(2) = 0.999) of the phantoms. The derived equations can be consulted in future research for the calculation of the bulk scattering properties of intralipid dilutions in the 600-1850 nm range, or for the validation of theories that describe the effects of dependent scattering on the scattering properties of intralipid-like systems.