# A model for full-field optical coherence tomography in scattering media

## TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive model for full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) in scattering media, accounting for partial coherence and advanced scattering theory to improve understanding of imaging features and quantitative measurements.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel FF-OCT model that incorporates partial coherence and goes beyond the Born approximation, enhancing the analysis of imaging and signal decay in scattering media.

## Key findings

- The model describes how partial coherence affects the optical transfer function.
- It explains the decay of FF-OCT signals with depth in scattering media.
- Conditions are derived for exponential decay, enabling quantitative measurements using Beer-Lambert law.

## Abstract

We develop a model of full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) that includes a description of partial temporal and spatial coherence, together with a mean-field scattering theory going beyond the Born approximation. Based on explicit expressions of the FF-OCT signal, we discuss essential features of FF-OCT imaging, such as the influence of partial coherence on the optical transfer function, and on the decay of the signal with depth that is captured by the model. We derive the conditions under which the spatially averaged signal exhibits a pure exponential decay with depth, providing a clear frame for the use of the Beer-Lambert law for quantitative measurements of the extinction length in scattering media.