Abstract

Low-coherence interferometry using broadband light sources have achieved high spatial resolution for imaging of highly scattering media [1-4]. For in vivo biological imaging [3,4], it is desirable that the optical path length of the reference arm be scanned at high-speed for achieving a fast frame rate. A standard technique for varying the optical path length of the reference arm is by stretching a long length of fiber coiled around a cylindrical piezoelectric transducer. This technique is used for high-speed data acquisition at an ≈ 1- ms rate, and with a probing depth of a few millimeters [4]. Drawbacks of this technique are the mismatched polarization inherent in the fiber, drifts resulting from temperature change , and dynamic birefringent effects owing to stretching action.

© 1997 Optical Society of America