This book, originally published April 6th, 2012, has been republished as an eBook January 1st, 2019.

Whether you are new to biomedical optics and biophotonics or you need a robust definition from a master of the field, Valery Tuchin's dictionary is a must-have reference. Each of approximately 2500 key terms is bolded throughout the text to direct you from definition to definition and give you a rich understanding of the terminology in this quickly developing field.

This dictionary summarizes the terminology and definitions used in the rapidly developing fields of biomedical optics and biophotonics. It is based on the glossaries of two of my earlier books, Tissue Optics: Light Scattering Methods and Instruments for Medical Diagnosis (SPIE Press, 2000) and the second edition of Tissue Optics: Light Scattering Methods and Instruments for Medical Diagnosis (SPIE Press, 2007); however, the terms and definitions have been expanded to short articles that serve as brief introductions to biomedical topics. Cross-referenced terms are in bold to facilitate searching.

It is impossible to present definitions of all related terms used in the dictionary, and thus they were selected based on the author's teaching and research experience. As many terms from biomedical optics and biophotonics as possible have been included; both fields are very closely related, however, and the distinction made here is that biophotonics is a broader term that includes biomedical optics as a subset. Researchers, practitioners, and professionals in biomedicine, as well as professionals in other disciplines, such as laser physics and technology, fiber optics, spectroscopy, material science, biology, and medicine will find the book a useful resource. Graduate and undergraduate students studying biomedical physics and engineering, biomedical optics and biophotonics, and medical science would benefit greatly from consulting this reference.

Several Russian and international grants supported this project: 208.2008.2 and 1177.2012.2 of the President of RF "Supporting of Leading Scientific Schools"; 1.4.09, 02.740.11.0770, 02.740.11.0879, and 11.519.11.2035 of the RF Federal Agency of Education; RFBR 11-02-12248-ofi-m and 11-02-00560-a; 224014, PHOTONICS4LIFE of FP7-ICT-2007-2; CRDF RUB1-2932-SR-08; 08-02-92224-RFBR-NNSF (RF-PRC); RFBR-10-02-90039-Bel_a; FiDiPro, TEKES Program (40111/11), Finland; and SCOPES EC, Switzerland/RF/Uzbekistan (2011-14).

I greatly appreciate the cooperation, contributions, and support of all my colleagues from the Optics and Biophotonics Chair and the Research-Educational Institute of Optics and Biophotonics at Saratov State University, the Institute of Precise Mechanics and Control of the Russian Academy of Science, and the Laboratory of Optoelectronics and Measurement Techniques at the University of Oulu, Finland. I have received valuable advice from reviewers, and their input is also appreciated. Last, but not least, I express my gratitude to my family for their support and understanding during my work on this book.

Valery V. Tuchin

Saratov State University

April 2012