Generation of Photoacoustic Holograms Using Binary Light Fields

Binary photoacoustic holography, which combines the photoacoustic effect with binary optical modulation, offers a low-cost approach to generating acoustic holograms. In this work, the ability of binary light fields to form acoustic holograms was investigated through numerical simulations. Binary amplitude patterns were optimized using the Direct Binary Search (DBS) algorithm to generate specific acoustic pressure distributions, such as the letters "T" and "J", at the imaging plane. Photoacoustic wave propagation was simulated using MATLAB k-Wave toolbox. The results showed that binary light fields can effectively generate acoustic holograms at the predefined plane with a high image reconstruction quality. Furthermore, distinct acoustic fields could be formed at multiple distances when different regions of the binary light field were optimized for different imaging planes. These acoustic fields exhibited low inter-plane crosstalk, indicating its potential for three-dimensional acoustic field control. These findings suggest that binary photoacoustic holography enables spatial control of acoustic fields without the need for complex multi-level light modulation, highlighting its potential for biomedical imaging and ultrasonic manipulation.