Deep tissue hyper-spectral imaging using multi-mode fibre-based flexible micro-endoscopy

The aim of the project is to develop a new form of ultra-thin multimode fibre based endoscope. Multimode fibres (MMFs) are able to transfer optical signals in the most information dense way: with many (1000's) independent channels able to propagate through an optical fibre only several tens of microns in diameter. Combined, these channels can transfer images from one end of the fibre to the other. However, as the phase velocity of each channel is different, then images projected onto one end of the fibre become scrambled into an apparently random speckle pattern upon arrival at the other end of the fibre. MMFs can be calibrated - enabling images to be unscrambled, however this calibration changes wherever the fibre bends, rendering imaging through flexible MMFs an open challenge. This project will build on recent work of the Structured Light Group, led by Assoc. Prof. David Phillips at Exeter, to develop a new way to calibrate and image through flexible multimode fibres while they are able to freely move (see Shuhui Li, Simon AR Horsley, Tomas Tyc, Tomas Cizmar, and David B. Phillips. "Guide-star assisted imaging through multimode optical fibres". ArXiv preprint arXiv:2005.06445 (2020)). This will push forward MMF based imaging technology, and during the project we will explore a wide range of applications including biomedical micro-endoscopy in conjunction with Prof Nick Stone at the University of Exeter.