Optimizing sensitivity and maximum probing depth in spatially offset OCT

Morphological imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT) has made major strides in the past few decades, however, there are major drawbacks in terms of its depth penetration. Recently, we have demonstrated that we can generate an OCT image by prioritizing the multiple scattering signal using a new collection geometry we call spatially offset OCT (SO-OCT). This leads to substantially enhanced imaging depth and contrast through a decrease in the effective attenuation in scattering samples and the preservation of the signal within the dynamic range of the detectors. Here, we explore methods for further optimizing the sensitivity and maximum probing depth in SO-OCT. We extend our modeling framework to consider Bessel-Gaussian illumination beam and explore the benefits of optimizing the detector for weak signals acquired at large spatial offsets. Our results show the high potential of SO-OCT as a new tool in biomedical imaging for deep tissue imaging.