The Development of Photonics Imaging Utilizing Photoacoustic Techniques

Dear Colleagues,

The principle of photoacoustic imaging technology is the photoacoustic effect which was discovered by Bell in 1880, which takes laser as the excitation source, receives the ultrasonic signal generated by the photoacoustic effect, and selects imaging on the surface, subsurface, and interior of the object to be detected, which is widely used in physics, chemistry, biomedicine, and environmental protection, as well as other fields. Subsequently, photoacoustic imaging technology based on the photoacoustic effect has been rapidly developed and widely used in the biomedical field.

Photoacoustic imaging combines the advantages of optical imaging and ultrasonic imaging and uses the ultrasonic signal generated by the photoacoustic effect to analyze in-depth information so as to locate the measured object in three-dimensional space. The widespread use of photoacoustic imaging in modern technology has made it a major contributor to the field of medical imaging. In addition, photoacoustic imaging is also used in a variety of other fields of imaging. For example, to detect the deep structure of large artifacts, trace gas detection and sensing, terahertz imaging, chemical synthesis analysis, etc.

Overall, photoacoustic imaging is a rapidly growing field of research, with new applications emerging constantly. Photoacoustic imaging technology has developed into a unique non-destructive testing and imaging technology, combining the high contrast and resolution of optics and the high penetration depth of acoustics.

Several key topics in the field of photonics imaging utilizing photoacoustic techniques are of interest to this Special Issue, including the following:

• Photoacoustic microscopy;
• Photoacoustic tomography;
• Contrast agents, molecular probes, and nanoparticles;
• Pre-clinical imaging, clinical translation, and clinical applications;
• Multi-modality systems involving light and sound;
• Tera-Hertz-induced photoacoustic imaging;
• Optical sensors for ultrasound imaging;
• Physics and modeling of photoacoustic generation, propagation, and detection;
• Advanced photoacoustic and ultrasound signal processing and analysis;
• Image reconstruction algorithms including deep learning;
• Novel lasers and light delivery technologies for the generation and detection of ultrasound;
• Spectroscopy and analysis of compounds.

Dr. Qiangzhou Rong
Dr. Kaili Ren
Guest Editors

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• photoacoustic imaging technology
• optical ultrasound sensor
• photoacoustic imaging
• deep learning
• machine learning
• bio-optics
• medical optics
• tumor microenvironment
• laser technology