The Monte Carlo Method for Photon Transport and its Practical Applications in Biomedical Optics

Level: Introductory Length: 4 hours Format: In-Person Lecture Intended Audience: Scientists, engineers, technicians, or managers who wish to learn more about performing in silico evaluations of photon transport in optical systems targeting imaging and treatment in a presence of turbid scattering media, such as biological tissue (e.g. human skin), should consider this course. Undergraduate training in engineering or science is assumed. Description: This course is dedicated to the foundational theory, practical implementations, and applications of the Monte Carlo (MC) method for photon transport, a stochastic technique extensively used in the field of Biomedical Optics. Participants will learn the principles of this now "gold standard" approach, its evolutionary timeline, and master its capabilities in providing accurate solutions to the Radiative Transfer equation, including its polarized forms with specific consideration of the wave phenomena of light. The curriculum emphasizes modern, open-source, power-efficient MC implementations tailored for a range of practical applications, from dose calculation in photodynamic therapy and simulating human skin reflectance spectra to advanced evaluation of light’s spin and orbital angular momentum transfer in turbid media. Learning Outcomes: This course will enable you to: - describe the basic principles of electromagnetic radiation propagation in turbid scattering media, such as biological tissues. - explain the core foundations and terminology of the MC method, and its significance and applications in Biomedical Optics. - create basic and advanced models of scattering media with spatial/volumetric variations in their optical properties. - apply GPU-accelerated MC-based solvers for specialized practical applications, such as fluence calculations, human skin reflectance spectra, polarized and complex light transport, etc. - perform in silico optimizations of multiple technical parameters for a biomedical optical diagnostic/treatment system, including wavelength, intensity profile of the incident beam, the size, geometry, relative positions of the source/detector, and others. Instructor(s): Alexander Doronin is a Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor in the U.S.) in Computer Science at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He is a Senior Member of SPIE and an internationally recognized expert in Biomedical Optics, scattered light image formation, and light wave transport in turbid media. He has created and validated theoretical frameworks for the forward and inverse assessment of light localization and interactions with tissue-like media. His research interests include the development of novel optical diagnostic and treatment modalities, physically based rendering, optical measurements and instrumentation, the acquisition and development of realistic material models, color perception, translucency, appearance, biomedical visualization, and Artificial Intelligence. Event: SPIE Photonics West 2025 Course Held: 27 January 2025