Biomedical Imaging

Why do we use microscopes for thin tissue slices but x-rays for imaging through the entire body? In this course we will explore the physics of light and life through various biomedical imaging techniques. We will apply the fundamental imaging concepts of resolution, aberration, diffraction, scattering, the Fourier transform, and deconvolution. Most of the course will focus on biomedical optics, including standard optical microscopes, fluorescence imaging, spectroscopy, fiber-optic endoscopes, and laser-scanning microscopes. The latter part of the course will cover non-optical imaging, such as ultrasound, x-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Students will gain hands-on experience through in-class experiments and field trips, e.g., to the cell imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance facilities in McCardell Bicentennial Hall. (PHYS 0216 or (PHYS 0111 and MATH 0122)) 3 hrs. lect.