Numerical modelling of imaging fibre bundles and their application in optical coherence tomography

Imaging fibre bundles are widely used in image transmission systems in the visible spectral range 1 . Their image transmission capabilities and flexibility make them interesting for OCT endoscopy 2 . However, cross-talk occurring between individual fibres and multimode transmission cause deterioration of the images obtained with OCT systems. In this study, a model of light propagation in a fibre bundle is developed using the Finite Difference - Time Domain (FDTD) method in order to quantify these effects. The simulated bundle output power density distribution is compared to experimental images.