Simulations of photon migration and image formation in highly scattering media

A computer model has been used to simulate transillumination imaging of a sharp edge in the center of a highly scattering object. It is shown that the width of the edge-spread-function of an infinitely absorbing edge increases with the migration time of the photon in a nonlinear fashion. Furthermore, the spread function is offset with respect to the edge: the offset is linearly related to the migration time. The effect is explained in terms of the nonlinear nature of the imaging process.<>