Genetic-algorithm-assisted coherent enhancement absorption in scattering media by exploiting transmission and reflection matrices

The investigations on coherent enhancement absorption (CEA) inside scattering media are critically important in biophotonics. CEA can deliver light to the targeted position, thus enabling deep-tissue optical imaging by improving signal strength and imaging resolution. In this work, we develop a numerical framework that employs the method of finite-difference time-domain. Both the transmission and reflection matrices of scattering media with open boundaries are constructed, allowing the studies on the eigenvalues and eigenchannels. To realize CEA for scattering media with local absorption, we develop a genetic-algorithm-assisted numerical model. By minimizing the total transmittance and reflectance simultaneously, different realizations of CEA are observed and, without setting internal monitors, can be differentiated with cases of light leaked from sides. By modulating the incident wavefront at only one side of the scattering medium, it is shown that for a 5-μm-diameter absorber buried inside a scattering medium of 15 μm × 12 μm, more than half of the incident light can be delivered and absorbed at the target position. The enhancement in absorption is more than four times higher than that with random input. This value can be even higher for smaller absorption regions. We also quantify the effectiveness of the method and show that it is inversely proportional to the openness of the scattering medium. This result is potentially useful for targeted light delivery inside scattering media with local absorption.