High topographical accuracy by optical shot noise reduction in digital holographic microscopy

In this work, we present a new method to reduce the shot noise in phase imaging of digital holograms. A spatial averaging process of phase images reconstructed at different reconstruction distances is performed, with the reconstruction distance range being specified by the numerical focus depth of the optical system. An improved phase image is attained with a 50% shot noise reduction. We use the integral of the angular spectrum as a reconstruction method to obtain a single-object complex amplitude that is needed to perform our proposal. We also show the corresponding simulations and experimental results. The topography of a homemade TiO2 stepwise of 100 nm high was measured and compared with the atomic force microscope results.     

小波变换在数字全息中的应用

数字全息是通过数字重构来同时获取被测物强度与相位,但记录时的激光散斑效应和重构时的零级衍射斑成为了这种方法的瓶颈。将小波变换引入数字全息,可直接消除零级衍射像,无需相移,也不需要采集多幅图像;小波非线性滤波器还可消除散斑噪声。模拟和实验结果表明,小波分析的引入,可以消除零级衍射影响,改善图像质量,提高测试分辨率。     

Compensation of the inherent wave front curvature in digital holographic coherent microscopy for quantitative phase-contrast imaging

An approach is proposed for removing the wavefront curvature introduced by the microscope imaging objective in digital holography, which otherwise hinders the phase contrast imaging at reconstruction planes. The unwanted curvature is compensated by evaluating a correcting wave front at the hologram plane with no need for knowledge of the optial parameters, focal length of the imaging lens, or distances in the setup. Most importantly it is shown that a correction effect can be obtained at all reconstruction planes. Three different methods have been applied to evaluate the correction wave front and the methods are discussed in detail. The proposed approach is demonstrated by applying digital holography as a method of coherent microscopy for imaging amplitude and phase contrast of microstructures.     

X射线成像术(上)

该文着重从衬度的形成讨论了X射线成像。介绍衬度生成的三种机制:吸收、位相变动和衍射。还介绍了成像设备的主要构成部件:X射线源(X射线发生器、直线加速器和同步辐射),各类探测器、像增强器与显示器,机械、控制与数据处理系统等;应用各种衬度形成的一些成像方法也作了简述,如利用吸收衬度的造影成像、数字减影和双色减影成像、计算机断层成像;利用相位衬度的干涉仪法、类同轴全息法和衍射增强法;利用衍射衬度的Lang透射法和Berg-Barrett反射法等,并用少量例子说明。     

Superresolved imaging in digital holography by superposition of tilted wavefronts

A technique based on superresolution by digital holographic microscopic imaging is presented. We used a two dimensional (2-D) vertical-cavity self-emitting laser (VCSEL) array as spherical-wave illumination sources. The method is defined in terms of an incoherent superposition of tilted wavefronts. The tilted spherical wave originating from the 2-D VCSEL elements illuminates the target in transmission mode to obtain a hologram in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. Superresolved images of the input object above the common lens diffraction limit are generated by sequential recording of the individual holograms and numerical reconstruction of the image with the extended spatial frequency range. We have experimentally tested the approach for a microscope objective with an exact 2-D reconstruction image of the input object. The proposed approach has implementation advantages for applications in biological imaging or the microelectronic industry in which structured targets are being inspected.     

Aberration compensation in digital holographic reconstruction of microscopic objects

Abstract

We present a digital method for the compensation of the aberrations appearing when a lensless hologram of a microscopic object is reconstructed. The digital hologram of the microscopic object is recorded on a relatively low resolution device (CCD sensor). An expansion of the hologram by interpolation of the recorded intensity is performed in order to increase the number of pixels. For digital reconstruction of the wavefronts the expanded hologram is multiplied by the reference wave followed by simulation of the diffraction using the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld propagation relation. Experimental results are presented.     

Eigenmode super-resolution imaging in arbitrary optical systems

We investigate optical super-resolution by means of eigenmode decomposition in arbitrary imaging systems. This technique is applicable for arbitrary objects but requires a knowledge of the eigenmodes of the imaging system. We outline a reconstruction technique that can be applied even to systems in which the eigenmodes are not orthogonal, and we present numerical simulations of eigenmode super-resolution in systems with resolution limited both by diffraction and by aberrations. Our results indicate that optical super-resolution by direct eigenmode decomposition provides a versatile method of sub-diffraction and distortion-free imaging in arbitrary optical systems.     

连续太赫兹波数字全息相衬成像

太赫兹波具有独特的低能性、高穿透性、惧水性等成像特性,将其应用于相衬成像能够反映物体的内部结构和更加丰富全面的生物信息,在生物医学检测等领域具有重要的应用。其中,太赫兹波数字全息成像是一种可以给出定量的振幅和相位信息的非接触、全场相衬成像方法,是太赫兹成像技术领域的重要研究方向之一。本文基于连续太赫兹源,从离轴式和同轴式数字全息成像的相衬成像原理、光路系统和再现算法多个方面,介绍了相关技术的研究现状,分析了太赫兹源、再现算法等因素对成像分辨率的影响,并对太赫兹数字全息的发展趋势进行了展望。     

Extended depth of field through wave-front coding

We designed an optical-digital system that delivers near-diffraction-limited imaging performance with a large depth of field. This system is the standard incoherent optical system modified by a phase mask with digital processing of the resulting intermediate image. The phase mask alters or codes the received incoherent wave front in such a way that the point-spread function and the optical transfer function do not change appreciably as a function of misfocus. Focus-independent digital filtering of the intermediate image is used to produce a combined optical-digital system that has a nearly diffraction limited point-spread function. This high-resolution extended depth of field is obtained through the expense of an increased dynamic range of the incoherent system. We use both the ambiguity function and the stationary-phase method to design these phase masks.     

Optimally tuned spatial light modulators for digital holography

Digital holography and comparative digital holography are applications that require computer-addressable modulators for the optical reconstruction of digital holograms. The quality of the reconstructed holograms depends on the modulator's properties. Therefore a characterization of the modulators is required. We show the result of a modulator characterization and the modulator's influence on the quality of the reconstructed hologram. We then compare qualitatively and quantitatively the optical reconstruction of phase and amplitude holograms by considering their level of detail and their diffraction efficiency.     

X射线成像术(下)

该文的前半部分(本刊上一期)已扼要介绍了X射线成像的三种衬度机制及成像设备各主要组件的构造,下半部分将继续介绍应用各种衬度的不同的成像方法和一些实例。     

Border processing in digital holography by extension of the digital hologram and reduction of the higher spatial frequencies

When a digital holographic reconstruction is performed, digital diffraction effects occur at the borders when the hologram amplitudes at the two opposite border points are different on each vertical or horizontal line. We propose a method of digital hologram extension to reduce such diffraction effects. The method consists of extending the size of the digital hologram and of filling the extended part by complex values that minimize, according to a numerical criterion, the highest spatial frequencies. The theoretical aspects of the method are given and the results from a demonstration are provided.     

Multi-plane imaging for arbitrary reconstruction positions in digital holography

A novel method for multi-plane imaging in digital holography is proposed: holograms of objects located at various places are recorded and then reconstructed simultaneously through one-step Fresnel diffraction using the quadratic distorted phase factor (QDPF). The theory of one-step Fresnel diffraction with the QDPF is deduced and experimental results support the theoretical investigation.     

Image reconstruction in spherical-wave intensity diffraction tomography

A reconstruction theory for intensity diffraction tomography (I-DT) has been proposed that permits reconstruction of a weakly scattering object without explicit knowledge of phase information. We investigate the I-DT reconstruction problem assuming an incident (paraxial) spherical wave and scanning geometries that employ fixed source-to-object distances. Novel reconstruction methods are derived by identifying and exploiting tomographic symmetries and the rotational invariance of the problem. An underlying theme is that symmetries in tomographic imaging systems can facilitate solutions for phase-retrieval problems. A preliminary numerical investigation of the developed reconstruction methods is presented.     

Digital recording and numerical reconstruction of holograms: an optical diagnostic for combustion

Holographic interferometry (HI) has proved to be a useful tool for nonintrusive temperature measurements in flames (and thereafter for inference of the local composition based on the state relationship approach) with high spatial and temporal resolution. Digital holographic interferometry (DHI) is a relatively new imaging and measurement technique that electronically records a hologram (e.g., on a CCD) and reconstructs it by a numerical method. Cumbersome chemical processing of the hologram is avoided in DHI, which thereby provides greater flexibility, speed, and the potential for real-time processing. In conventional holography, fringes that are neither bright nor dark on a hologram cannot be accurately resolved. The DHI technique has not yet to our knowledge been used for combustion applications. Herein we evaluate its efficacy for making temperature measurements in flames and assess its applicability through a simulation. Each part of a double exposure associated with the holographic technique is considered to be recorded by a hypothetical CCD sensor at a separate time from the other part. We applied the principles of Fourier optics to develop two numerical methods for hologram reconstruction, and we show that both methods provide an accurate reconstruction of the phase image associated with a flame. Because of the periodic nature of the wave function, the reconstructed phase values are limited to the interval [-pi/2, pi/2]. Thus an unwrapping algorithm is provided that produces a continuous phase distribution based on the condition that the reconstructed phase is jumped by a value of -pi or pi. We have also developed an iterative calculation method to adjust the value of the digital reference wave parameters that determines the phase imaging reconstruction in DHI.     

Homogenized Fourier transform holographic data storage using phase spatial light modulators and methods for recovery of data from the phase image

We present a method for homogenizing the Fourier spectrum for holographic digital data storage by use of a phase spatial light modulator (SLM), and methods for the recovery of data from a phase image are implemented and discussed. Binary digital data are displayed on a phase SLM operating in 0 and pi phase modes to optimally remove the intense dc peak so as to obtain a homogenized Fourier spectrum. Methods based on holographic interferometry have been developed and employed for recovery of the original amplitude data page from the phase-data page. A new edge-detection-based method also has been demonstrated and analyzed for reconstruction of the original data. Experimental results are presented to confirm the feasibility of these novel techniques.     

Pixel-size-maintained image reconstruction of digital holograms on arbitrarily tilted planes by the angular spectrum method

We present an effective method for the pixel-size-maintained reconstruction of images on arbitrarily tilted planes in digital holography. The method is based on the plane wave expansion of the diffraction wave fields and the three-axis rotation of the wave vectors. The images on the tilted planes are reconstructed without loss of the frequency contents of the hologram and have the same pixel sizes. Our method shows good results in the extreme cases of large tilting angles and in the region closer than the paraxial case. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by both simulation and experiment.     

Applications of short-coherence digital holography in microscopy

We present an optical system based on short-coherence digital holography suitable for the imaging of three-dimensional microscopic objects. The short temporal coherence properties of the light source allow optical sectioning of the sample. Proper reconstruction of different layers within biological samples is possible up to a depth of a few hundred micrometers, but multiple scattering and inhomogeneities in the refractive index reduce the imaging quality for deeper layers. We have studied the possibility of numerically correcting sample-induced aberrations, and we now propose a method of improving image quality. Numerical simulations and preliminary experimental results show that compensation of these aberrations is possible to some extent.     

Non-interferometric methods of phase estimation for application in optical tomography

Abstract

We describe here two non-interferometric methods for the estimation of the phase of transmitted wavefronts through refracting objects. The phase of the wavefronts obtained is used to reconstruct either the refractive index distribution of the objects or their contours. Refraction corrected reconstructions are obtained by the application of an iterative loop incorporating digital ray tracing for forward propagation and a modified filtered back projection (FBP) for reconstruction. The FBP is modified to take into account non-straight path propagation of light through the object. When the iteration stagnates, the difference between the projection data and an estimate of it obtained by ray tracing through the final reconstruction is reconstructed using a diffraction tomography algorithm. The reconstruction so obtained, viewed as a correction term, is added to the estimate of the object from the loop to obtain an improved final refractive index reconstruction.