Estimation of dielectric parameters from ultrasound waves in quantitative thermoacoustic tomography

Abstract Thermoacoustic tomography (TAT) is an imaging technique based on the thermoacoustic effect, combining electromagnetic contrast and high resolution of ultrasound imaging. In TAT, a short micro- or radio wave pulse is directed to the imaged target. Energy of this pulse is absorbed depending on the dielectric parameters of the target, resulting in a spatially varying pressure distribution via the thermoacoustic effect. This pressure, known as the initial pressure distribution, propagates as acoustic waves that are measured on the boundary of the target using ultrasound sensors. In the inverse problem of TAT, the initial pressure is estimated from the measured ultrasound waves. TAT can further be extended to quantitative TAT (QTAT), where the aim is to estimate the dielectric parameters of the target from the measured ultrasound waves, utilizing a model for electromagnetic wave propagation. In this work, we study the inverse problem of QTAT, and propose an approach for simultaneous estimation of electrical conductivity and permittivity from the ultrasound waves. This problem is approached in the framework of Bayesian inverse problems, enabling incorporation of prior and noise models. The forward model describing electromagnetic and acoustic wave propagation is based on the Maxwell’s equations and the acoustic wave-equation, respectively. The approach is evaluated with numerical simulations. The results show that the dielectric parameters can be estimated using the proposed approach with good precision. However, the ultrasound sensor geometry and the number of electromagnetic pulses have a significant effect on the accuracy of the estimated parameters.