Application of quasi-resonant ultrasonic detectors in the optoacoustic tomography of biological objects

An experimental setup for the in-depth optoacoustic tomography of biological tissues in vitro was constructed on the basis of quasi-resonant ultrasonic detectors with a near-maximal sensitivity. The possibility of probing the boundaries of layers differing by 0.1 cm^–1 in respect of the absorption coefficients was demonstrated for optical depths corresponding to the attenuation of the probe radiation by 35 dB when the energy of the latter is 30 mJ. Two-dimensional optoacoustic tomograms were obtained for muscle tissue containing absorbing inhomogeneities of size of the order of 1 mm and located at a depth of several centimetres.