Three-dimensional quantitative phase imaging via tomographic deconvolution phase microscopy.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Biomedical Imaging
• Materials Science

Background:

• Three-dimensional quantitative phase imaging (3D QPI) is crucial for various research fields.
• Existing methods like optical diffraction tomography (ODT) face challenges with coherent noise and specialized hardware.
• ODT is often incompatible with standard partially coherent light microscopy used in many labs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel phase reconstruction method, tomographic deconvolution phase microscopy (TDPM).
• To enable 3D QPI using readily available commercial microscopy hardware.
• To overcome the limitations of existing ODT techniques for broader accessibility.

Main Methods:

• TDPM utilizes principles analogous to deconvolution microscopy.
• It combines multiple through-focal scans deconvolved by the system's point spread function.
• The method is based on 3D weak object transfer function theory and object rotation for full spectrum recovery.

Main Results:

• TDPM successfully images phase objects with large phase excursions, including 'nonweak' objects.
• The technique does not require phase unwrapping.
• It recovers the complete object spectrum, avoiding the 'missing cone' problem inherent in limited-angle ODT.

Conclusions:

• TDPM provides a viable and accessible alternative for 3D QPI.
• The method's reliance on commercial hardware reduces implementation costs.
• Demonstrations on various optical fibers and gratings validate its effectiveness.