Standardization Techniques for Single-Shot Digital Holographic Microscopy

Abstract

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is a mature technology for quantitative phase imaging. Thousands of articles have been published on this topic over the last couple of decades. Our goal in this article is to emphasize that single-shot holographic microscopy systems offer several practical advantages and in principle capture the full diffraction-limited information of interest. Since phase cannot be measured directly, phase reconstruction is inherently a computational problem. In this context, we describe some traditional algorithmic ideas as well as newer sparse optimization-based methodologies for phase reconstruction from single-shot holograms. Robust operation of a DHM system additionally requires a number of auxiliary algorithms associated with fractional fringe detection, phase unwrapping, detection of focus plane, etc., that will be discussed in some detail. With the data-driven nature of applications of DHM being developed currently, the standardization or benchmarking of algorithmic ideas for DHM systems is important so that same sample imaged by different DHM systems provides the same numerical phase maps. Such uniformity is also key to establishing effective communication between DHM developers and potential users and thereby increasing the reach of the DHM technology.