Quantitative photoacoustic integrating sphere (QPAIS) platform: for Grüneisen parameter, optical absorption & fluorescence quantum yield measurements of biomedical fluids

This thesis presents the development of the Quantitative Photoacoustic Integrating Sphere (QPAIS) platform for accurate measurements of the Grüneisen parameter Γ, absorption coefficient μa and fluorescence quantum yield Φf of target absorbers relevant to biomedical photoacoustic imaging. In this QPAIS method, a small transparent tube with diameter less than 1 mm and horizontally inserted through the cavity of an integrating sphere with a diameter of 50.8 mm serves as a holder for the liquid absorbing sample. The incident light source and optical detector are connected to opposite ports on the sphere wall via fiber coupling, whereas an ultrasound transducer is connected to a port positioned perpendicular to the tube axis.