Measurement of the reduced scattering coefficient of turbid media using single fiber reflectance spectroscopy: fiber diameter and phase function dependence

This paper presents a relationship between the intensity collected by a single fiber reflectance device (R(SF)) and the fiber diameter (d(fib)) and the reduced scattering coefficient ( [Formula: see text]) and phase function (p(θ)) of a turbid medium. Monte Carlo simulations are used to identify and model a relationship between R(SF) and dimensionless scattering ( [Formula: see text]). For [Formula: see text] we find that R(SF) is insensitive to p(θ). A solid optical phantom is constructed with [Formula: see text] and is used to convert R(SF) of any turbid medium to an absolute scale. This calibrated technique provides accurate estimates of [Formula: see text] over a wide range ([0.05 – 8] mm(−1)) for a range of d(fib) ([0.2 – 1] mm).