Novel signal-detection approaches in optoacoustic tomography

Optoacoustic (photoacoustic) tomography (OAT) is a hybrid imaging modality that enables high-resolution optical imaging at depths that exceed the optical diffusion limit by combining optical excitation with acoustic detection. In this talk, I will discuss two techniques for the detection of acoustic signals in OAT that overcome limitations of piezoelectric technology, commonly used in OAT. In the first technique, a novel acoustic detector was developed in a silicon-photonics platform, achieving a record-high resolution of <20 µm, previously achieved only in optoacoustic microscopy setups. In the second technique, we developed cyclic acoustic masks that enable the application of signal-pixel imaging, facilitating semi-isotropic resolution and sensitivity enhancement.