Numerical iterative approach for zero-order term elimination in off-axis digital holography

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Digital Imaging
• Computational Science

Background:

• Off-axis digital holography reconstructs 3D information from recorded holograms.
• Zero-order term and noise degrade the quality of reconstructed holographic images.
• Current methods often involve subjective filtering in the spectral domain, increasing computational load.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel numerical iterative approach for off-axis digital holography.
• To eliminate the zero-order term and enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of reconstructed images.
• To enable real-time processing capabilities for digital holographic applications.

Main Methods:

• A numerical iterative approach is developed and applied in the spatial domain.
• The method focuses on eliminating the zero-order term through iterative refinement.
• Computational time is reduced by avoiding spectral domain processing and filter window selection.

Main Results:

• The proposed iterative method effectively suppresses the zero-order term in reconstructed images.
• Significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the reconstructed images is achieved.
• Mathematical deductions and numerical simulations confirm the approach's feasibility.
• Experimental validation demonstrates the robustness of the method on a real hologram.

Conclusions:

• The novel spatial domain iterative approach offers an effective solution for zero-order term elimination in digital holography.
• Improved SNR and reduced computational time make the method suitable for real-time detection.
• The approach provides a robust and objective alternative to existing holographic image reconstruction techniques.