The effect of spatial filtering on the performance of time-of-flight imaging systems

The results of a Monte Carlo computer simulation of photon transport through biological tissue are presented. A comparison is made of the performance, in terms of resolution for a given signal-to-noise ratio, of spatial filtering, time-of-flight imaging and a combination of these approaches. The results show that a careful choice of time gate and aperture dimensions can significantly improve the performance of time-gated optical imaging systems.