Estimation of optical parameters in a living tissue by solving the inverse problem of the multiflux radiative transfer

Calculations of radiative transfer require knowledge of the absorption and scattering coefficients and the asymmetry factor of scattering in the medium. A method is presented for estimating these coefficients in living plant leaves from fiber-optic measurements. We consider the plant leaf as consisting of two layers of different refractive indices and with reflecting surfaces. Light intensities at the boundaries of these layers in several irradiated plant leaves have been measured using a thin (70-microm) glass fiber connected to a photomultiplier. The diffuse reflection and transmission were measured with an integrating sphere. From these values we derive an estimation of the scattering and absorption coefficients and the asymmetry factor of scattering applying an inversion of the multiflux theory of light propagation in turbid media. In addition, we compare these coefficients with those obtained by using the Kubelka-Munk theory.