title: Simplified approach to diffraction tomography in optical microscopy.
abstract: We present a novel microscopy technique to measure the scattered wavefront emitted from an optically transparent microscopic object. The complex amplitude is decoded via phase stepping in a common-path interferometer, enabling high mechanical stability. We demonstrate theoretically and practically that the incoherent summation of multiple illumination directions into a single image increases the resolving power and facilitates image reconstruction in diffraction tomography. We propose a slice-by-slice object-scatter extraction algorithm entirely based in real space in combination with ordinary z-stepping. Thereby the computational complexity affiliated with tomographic methods is significantly reduced. Using the first order Born approximation for weakly scattering objects it is possible to obtain estimates of the scattering density from the exitwaves.
authors: Nanotechnology Group, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Reto
authors: R
authors: Fiolka
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Wicker
authors: Rainer
authors: R
authors: Heintzmann
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Stemmer
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002610:Cheek / Q000473:pathology; D004867:Equipment Design; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D007368:Interferometry / Q000379:methods; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins