Radiative transport equation applied to laser irradiated biological tissues

• Grant number: 24/21603-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Luciano Bachmann
• Grantee: Bruno Henrique Garcia Malvestio
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This work aims to address and understand the optical properties of biological tissues, grounding the study in the propagation of optical radiation in turbid media. Among the properties studied are absorption and scattering coefficients, anisotropy factors, refractive index, albedo, and derived parameters such as reduced scattering, in addition to the effective attenuation coefficient and optical penetration coefficients used to describe the interaction of radiation with matter. In this context, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) is essential for understanding the propagation and interaction of radiation with matter, serving as a crucial tool for the development of this work. However, due to its complexity, the diffusion approximation to the RTE is often used as a simpler model, making the study of the equation less complicated. The study also includes radiometry of radiation sources such as lasers and LEDs, with the theoretical basis focusing on the distribution of radiation in space and time from these sources. The research seeks to understand radiation propagation in biological tissues, with an emphasis on optical dosimetry, which is fundamental for medical applications such as treatments and diagnostics. The project aims to provide a solid theoretical foundation for future work in applied optics, especially in clinical environments and dosimetry research.