Absorption effects in diffusing wave spectroscopy

Abstract

The effect of absorption in diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) was studied using an absorption-dependent diffusive equation for describing the light propagation within a turbid liquid where dielectric microspheres have been embedded. Here, we propose an expression for the time-averaged light intensity autocorrelation function that correctly describes the time fluctuations for the scattered light, in the regime where the diffusion approximation accurately describes the light propagation. This correction was suspected previously, but it was not formally derived from a light diffusive equation. As in the case of no absorption, we obtained that time fluctuations of the scattered light can be related to the mean square displacement of the embedded particles. However, if a correction for absorption is not taken into account, the colloidal dynamics can be misinterpreted. Experimental results show that this new formulation correctly describes the time fluctuations of scattered light. This new procedure extends the applicability of DWS, and it opens the possibility of doing microrheology with this optical method in systems where absorption cannot be avoided.