Refraction of diffuse photon density waves

Abstract

Experiments are performed which illustrate the properties of damped traveling waves in diffusive media. Our observations demonstrate the manipulation of these waves by adjustment of the photon diffusion coefficients of adjacent turbid media. The waves are imaged, and are shown to obey simple relations such as Snell’s law. The extent to which analogies from physical optics may be used to understand these waves is further explored, and the implications for medical imaging are briefly discussed.