Optical Loss

Definition: Optical loss refers to the reduction in light intensity or power as it propagates through a medium (e.g. tissue or phantom). This loss occurs due to various factors such as absorption, scattering, and reflection of light. Optical loss can be quantified as the ratio between the input optical power (light emitted by the sources) and the output optical power (light received by the detectors after traversing the medium). This ratio, often expressed in decibels (dB), provides a measure of how much the emitted light signal has attenuated or weakened by the time it reaches the detectors.

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References: 10.3390/s20102831, 10.3390/s21186106, 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119216, Corpus ID: 7011179, https://www.thorlabs.com/images/TabImages/Noise_Equivalent_Power_White_Paper.pdf

Related terms: functional NIRS phantom