Laser Doppler Flowmeters Prototypes Validation using Monte Carlo Simulations

Two new laser Doppler flowmeter prototypes are herein validated with Monte Carlo simulations. The first prototype is a multi-wavelength laser Doppler flowmeter with different spaced detection fibres that will add depth discrimination capabilities to LDF skin monitoring. The other prototype is a self-mixing based laser Doppler flowmeter for brain perfusion estimation. In order to validate these two prototypes, Monte Carlo simulations are performed. For the first prototype validation, Monte Carlo simulations in a phantom consisting of moving fluid (pumped milk) at six different depths as well as in a skin model are proposed. For this prototype, the results show that the first order moment of the photocurrent power spectrum (M1) and mean depth measured both increase with the fibre distances tested. Moreover, M1 increases with the concentration of milk, whereas the mean depth measured decreases with the milk concentration for the phantom results. Furthermore, we show that increasing the wavelength of incoming light, in the skin model, increases the mean depth probed. For the second prototype validation, Monte Carlo simulations are carried out on a rat brain model. We show that the mean measurement depth in the rat brain with our probe is