Computationally efficient perturbative forward modeling for 3D multispectral bioluminescence and fluorescence tomography

The forward problem of optical bioluminescence and fluorescence tomography seeks to determine, for a given 3D source distribution, the photon density on the surface of an animal. Photon transport through tissues is commonly modeled by the diffusion equation. The challenge, then, is to accurately and efficiently solve the diffusion equation for a realistic animal geometry and heterogeneous tissue types. Fast analytical solvers are available that...