A technique by which subsurface thermal inhomogeneities can be quantitatively reconstructed from photothermal images is discussed. The approach is based on the fact that the photothermal signal can be expressed as the spatial convolution of the photothermal point spread function and the shape function of the hidden object. Numerical simulations demonstrate the performance and the limits of the approach. Experimental results obtained from a low thermal contrast sample are presented and compared with the theory.

Date Published: 15 March 1996
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 2766, Thermosense XVIII: An International Conference on Thermal Sensing and Imaging Diagnostic Applications, (15 March 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.235381

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2766:
Thermosense XVIII: An International Conference on Thermal Sensing and Imaging Diagnostic Applications
Douglas D. Burleigh; Jane W. Maclachlan Spicer, Editor(s)