In vitro simultaneous measurement of refractive index and thickness of biological tissue by the low coherence interferometry

Abstract

We proposed and demonstrated in vitro simultaneous measurement of refractive index and thickness of biological tissue. The technique is based on the low coherence interferometry combined with precise translation stages. Refractive indices were determined with the accuracy of less than 1% for tissue samples of a few hundred micron thickness, including chicken tissue, human tooth and nail. Simultaneous measurement of refractive index and thickness of multilayer tissue are also demonstrated.