Dependent scattering in Intralipid® phantoms in the 600-1850 nm range

The effect of dependent scattering on the bulk scattering properties of intralipid phantoms in the 600-1850 nm wavelength range has been investigated. A set of 57 liquid optical phantoms, covering a wide range of intralipid concentrations (1-100% v/v), was prepared and the bulk optical properties were accurately determined. The bulk scattering coefficient as a function of the particle density could be well described with Twersky's packing factor (R-2 > 0.990). A general model was elaborated taking into account the wavelength dependency and the effect of the concentration of scattering particles (R-2 = 0.999). Additionally, an empirical approach was followed to characterize the effect of dense packing of scattering particles on the anisotropy factor (R-2 = 0.992) and the reduced scattering coefficient (R-2 = 0.999) of the phantoms. The derived equations can be consulted in future research for the calculation of the bulk scattering properties of intralipid dilutions in the 600-1850 nm range, or for the validation of theories that describe the effects of dependent scattering on the scattering properties of intralipid-like systems. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America