Broadening the detection view of high-frequency linear-array-based photoacoustic computed tomography by using planar acoustic reflectors

Photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) with a linear transducer array suffers from limited detection view. To increase the detection aperture, it is possible to circularly scan the linear transducer array around the object at the expense of imaging speed. Here we propose an alternative method to double or triple the detection view angle without sacrificing the imaging speed. By using a planar acoustic reflector which creates a virtual linear transducer array, the detection view angle is doubled. Similarly, by using two planar acoustic reflectors placed at 120 degrees to each other, we can form two virtual linear transducer arrays, and the detection view angle is tripled. This paper comparatively studies the two cases. We found that the planar acoustic reflectors greatly increase the detection aperture and thus significantly enhance the image quality of linear-array-base PACT systems.