Full image reconstruction in frequency-domain photoacoustic microscopy by means of a low-cost I/Q demodulator

We present a full image reconstruction methodology in frequency-domain photoacoustic microscopy using a low-cost I/Q demodulator for the recording of amplitude and phase of the signals. By modulating the intensity of a continuous wave diode laser at 10 MHz, we have been able to provide accurate optical absorption images and surface reconstructions of phantom samples, comparing also the extracted results with standard time-domain approaches. The findings of this study could be utilized towards the development of inexpensive photoacoustic microscopes with multispectral capabilities for a wide range of biomedical studies, requiring the sensitive detection of endogenous or exogenous absorbers in tissues.