Patent ID: 7230716

Claim:
A method for measuring an absorption coefficient and a reduced scattering coefficient of a multiple scattering medium, comprising the steps of: outputting a coherent light beam, the coherent light beam including linear polarized P and S wave components having mutually orthogonal polarizations and frequencies ωP and ωS, respectively; splitting the coherent light beam into a signal beam and a reference beam, the signal beam and the reference beam including the P wave and S wave components; projecting the signal beam into the multiple scattering medium; detecting and converting an optical interference signal of the reference beam and an optical interference signal of the signal beam that penetrates the multiple scattering medium, respectively, into heterodyne interference electrical signals; comparing the two heterodyne interference electrical signals to obtain amplitude attenuation and phase delay of the signal beam that penetrated the multiple scattering medium; and inferring the reduced scattering coefficient and the absorption coefficient of the multiple scattering medium at a position where the multiple scattering medium is penetrated with reference to the amplitude attenuation and phase delay thus obtained.