Mesh-based Monte Carlo method for time-gated optical tomography

We describe a novel mesh-based Monte Carlo optical reconstruction algorithm for time-gated 3D optical tomography in small animals. Compared with previous works using voxel-based media discretization, a mesh-based approach is more accurate in modeling targets with curved boundaries or locally refined structures. Using an efficient ray-tracing technique, the mesh-based Monte Carlo method enables us to model both media properties and fluence distribution. Excellent agreement is found when comparing mesh-based MC with 3D voxel-based MC code in a synthetic mouse model.