Aberration Correction Research Articles

Ultrasound-assisted aberration correction of transcranial photoacoustic imaging based on angular spectrum theory

To correct the refraction aberration induced by the skull in photoacoustic imaging, a method for phase distortion compensation is proposed based on the angular spectrum theory with the aid of ultrasonic signals. This method first updates the speed of sound distribution by iteratively performing aberration correction in the ultrasonic reconstruction. Then the speed of sound distribution obtained with ultrasound-assisted serves as prior knowledge to address phase distortion compensation by adjusting the phase shift factor of the wavefront in different media. Finally, the aberration-corrected ultrasonic-photoacoustic dual-modality image can be obtained. Numerical simulations and phantom experiments confirm the effectiveness of this method. Specifically, in simulations, the position error of the proposed method is reduced from −13.61% to 1.27% in depth compared to the method based on the reconstruction with constant speed. Moreover, a real ex-vivo rabbit skull experiment illustrates the potential biological application of the proposed method in transcranial photoacoustic imaging.

A Deep Learning-Based Approach to Characterize Skull Physical Properties: A Phantom Study.

Transcranial ultrasound imaging is a popular method to study cerebral functionality and diagnose brain injuries. However, the detected ultrasound signal is greatly distorted due to the aberration caused by the skull bone. The aberration mechanism mainly depends on thickness and porosity, two important skull physical characteristics. Although skull bone thickness andporosity can be estimated from CT or MRI scans, there is significant value in developing methods for obtaining thickness and porosity information from ultrasound itself. Here, we extracted various features from ultrasound signals using physical skull-mimicking phantoms of a range of thicknesses with embedded porosity-mimicking acoustic mismatches and analyzed them using machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models. The performance evaluation demonstrated that both ML- and DL-trained models could predict the physical characteristics of a variety of skull phantoms with reasonable accuracy. The proposed approach could be expanded upon and utilized for the development of effective skull aberration correction methods.

EDOF – HOW DOES IT WORK?

EDOF is the name of a new category of intraocular lenses that are a kind of compromise between traditional monofocal and trifocal IOLs. Monofocal IOLs allow you to have good vision at one distance with high quality. Multifocal, on the contrary, give sufficient visual acuity at various distances, but are characterized by the presence of a large number of dysphotopsias. Intraocular lenses with extended focus provide greater independence from glasses than monofocals while maintaining high quality vision.Objective: to discuss the available information on the principles of EDOF imaging by lenses and the dependence of the state of the wavefront of the artiphakic eye on the combination of spherical corneal aberrations and IOLs.The wavefront of the eye is formed by several structural elements, the main of which are the cornea and the lens (artificial lens). The study of aberrations of the human eye is in the field of refractive surgery. Attempts to use aberrations in cataract surgery began with the creation of aspherical IOLs. The latter were intended to correct spherical corneal aberrations and were aimed at improving the characteristics of the wavefront. The development and use of aspherical IOLs were based on data on the state of the cornea of the average eye and gave a conditional effect. The new generation of IOLs based on the creation of a certain number and type of spherical aberrations is designed to modify (deform) the wavefront of the artifakic eye and expand its optical capabilities while maintaining a low number of dysphotopsias. This, in a way, revolutionary change in trends brings cataract surgery even closer to refractive surgery.According to the authors, for the fullest use of the capabilities of IOLs from the EDOF category, it is necessary to apply the principles and experience of refractive surgery in terms of studying the characteristics of the operated eye and correlating them with the parameters planned for IOL implantation.

Fast and light-efficient wavefront shaping with a MEMS phase-only light modulator

Over the last two decades, spatial light modulators (SLMs) have revolutionized our ability to shape optical fields. They grant independent dynamic control over thousands of degrees-of-freedom within a single light beam. In this work we test a new type of SLM, known as a phase-only light modulator (PLM), that blends the high efficiency of liquid crystal SLMs with the fast switching rates of binary digital micro-mirror devices (DMDs). A PLM has a 2D mega-pixel array of micro-mirrors. The vertical height of each micro-mirror can be independently adjusted with 4-bit precision. Here we provide a concise tutorial on the operation and calibration of a PLM. We demonstrate arbitrary pattern projection, aberration correction, and control of light transport through complex media. We show high-speed wavefront shaping through a multimode optical fiber – scanning over 2000 points at 1.44 kHz. We make available our custom high-speed PLM control software library developed in C++. As PLMs are based upon micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) technology, they are polarization agnostic, and possess fundamental switching rate limitations equivalent to that of DMDs – with operation at up to 10 kHz anticipated in the near future. We expect PLMs will find high-speed light shaping applications across a range of fields including adaptive optics, microscopy, optogenetics and quantum optics.

Optical phase aberration correction with an ultracold quantum gas

Optical phase aberration correction with an ultracold quantum gas

Adaptive optical correction for in vivo two-photon fluorescence microscopy with neural fields.

Adaptive optics (AO) restore ideal imaging performance in complex samples by measuring and correcting optical aberrations, but often require custom-built microscopes with carefully aligned wavefront sensing/shaping devices and can be susceptible to sample motion. Here we describe NeAT, a computational framework using neural fields for AO two-photon fluorescence microscopy. NeAT estimates wavefront aberration and recovers sample structure from a 3D image stack without requiring external datasets for training. Incorporating motion correction in learning and correcting conjugation errors commonly found in commercial microscopes, NeAT is designed for deployment in biological laboratories for in vivo imaging. We validate NeAT's performance using a custom-built microscope with a wavefront sensor under varying signal-to-noise ratios, aberration, and motion conditions. With a commercial microscope, we demonstrate real-time aberration correction for in vivo morphological and functional imaging in the living mouse brain, with NeAT improving signal and accuracy of glutamate and calcium imaging of synapses and neurons.

Plug-and-play adaptive optics microscopy with full-field correction using isoplanatic patch estimation and field segmentation

We discuss the implementation and performance of a plug-play adaptive optics (AO) module for commercial microscopes comprising indirect wavefront sensing, and a deformable phase plate (DPP) located directly between the objective and the turret. With the DPP at this location, the system closely resembles a pupil-AO scheme, in which effective aberration correction is only possible within the isoplanatic patch. We overcome this limitation by estimating the aberration profiles at multiple field points in parallel and correcting them in sequence to obtain a 2D array of high-quality sub-aperture images. These are then stitched together to form a corrected full-field image. To minimize the measurement time without compromising correction quality, we propose an empirical method to identify the size of the isoplanatic patch, which is both sample and system dependent. Matching the field segment size to that of the isoplanatic patch provides the best compromise between consistent correction quality across the image and measurement time. We demonstrate the performance of the developed system in a commercial microscope using synthetic samples and discuss the performance and limitations of the system.

Proposal to correct aberration and turbulence effects in the propagation of Laguerre-Gaussian modes

Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes are known as carriers of orbital angular momentum (OAM) and, for this reason, such modes have potential applications in optical communications. In this work, we present a study of the effects of aberration and turbulence on LG modes and propose a correction for these effects using a spatial light modulator. The aberrations are introduced by a phase mask obtained through a combination of Zernike polynomials. A scaling factor in the corrective phase mask enables us to optimize the recovery of the transverse structure of the LG beam, opening, to our knowledge, a new investigative avenue on aberration and turbulence mitigation. Numerical simulations and experiments are presented with good agreement.

In vivo volumetric analysis of retinal vascular hemodynamics in mice with spatio-temporal optical coherence tomography.

Microcirculation and neurovascular coupling are important parameters to study in neurological and neuro-ophthalmic conditions. As the retina shares many similarities with the cerebral cortex and is optically accessible, a special focus is directed to assessing the chorioretinal structure, microvasculature, and hemodynamics of mice, a vital animal model for vision and neuroscience research. We aim to introduce an optical imaging tool enabling in vivo volumetric mouse retinal monitoring of vascular hemodynamics with high temporal resolution. We translated the spatio-temporal optical coherence tomography (STOC-T) technique into the field of small animal imaging by designing a new optical system that could compensate for the mouse eye refractive error. We also developed post-processing algorithms, notably for the assessment of (i) localized hemodynamics from the analysis of pulse wave-induced Doppler artifact modulation and (ii) retinal tissue displacement from phase-sensitive measurements. We acquired high-quality, in vivo volumetric mouse retina images at a rate of 113Hz over a lateral field of view of . We presented high-resolution en face images of the retinal and choroidal structure and microvasculature from various layers, after digital aberration correction. We were able to measure the pulse wave velocity in capillaries of the outer plexiform layer with a mean speed of 0.35mm/s and identified venous and arterial pulsation frequency and phase delay. We quantified the modulation amplitudes of tissue displacement near major vessels (with peaks of 150nm), potentially carrying information about the biomechanical properties of the retinal layers involved. Last, we identified the delays between retinal displacements due to the passing of venous and arterial pulse waves. The developed STOC-T system provides insights into the hemodynamics of the mouse retina and choroid that could be beneficial in the study of neurovascular coupling and vasculature and flow speed anomalies in neurological and neuro-ophthalmic conditions.

Reconfigurable Integrated Thermo-Optics for Aberration Correction

Reconfigurable Integrated Thermo-Optics for Aberration Correction

Design of geostationary orbit ultrawide FOV long-wave infrared imaging spectrometer

The geostationary orbit imaging spectrometer offers distinct advantages for diverse applications in remote sensing. To enhance swath and data richness, there is a growing trend toward spectrometers with broader fields of view (FOV) and extended slit lengths. Optical systems equipped with these features face significant challenges in aberration correction. This paper investigates the parameters of geostationary orbits and designs a spectroscopic system capable of achieving ultrawide FOV without the need for stitching spectrograph subsystems. Additionally, it also designs a front-end telescope system that matches the spectroscopic system. The spectroscopic system features a slit length of 240 mm, employing an enhanced Offner structure for a long slit spectroscopic system, incorporating a freeform surface on the third mirror. To inhibit the effects of radiation stray light, the system's exit pupil is controlled to be positioned in front of the image plane to facilitate matching with the cold shield. The analysis indicates that the spectral resolution of the long-wave infrared imaging spectrometer system is 50 nm, with a total of 90 spectral sampling channels. The system's spatial resolution is 100 m, enabling a swath width of 400 km. Furthermore, the modulation transfer function (MTF) exceeds 0.42 at the Nyquist frequency of 8.35 lp/mm. The maximum RMS radius of the system is less than 27 μm at wavelengths ranging from 8 to 12.5 μm.

Size photometry and fluorescence imaging of immobilized immersed extracellular vesicles.

Immunofluorescence analysis of individual extracellular vesicles (EVs) in common fluorescence microscopes is gaining popularity due to its accessibility and high fluorescence sensitivity; however, EV number and size are only measurable using fluorescent stains requiring extensive sample manipulations. Here we introduce highly sensitive label-free EV size photometry (SP) based on interferometric scattering (iSCAT) imaging of immersed EVs immobilized on a glass coverslip. We implement SP on a common inverted epifluorescence microscope with LED illumination and a simple 50:50 beamsplitter, permitting seamless integration of SP with fluorescence imaging (SPFI). We present a high-throughput SPFI workflow recording >10,000 EVs in 7min over ten 88×88µm2 fields of view, pre- and post-incubation imaging to suppress background, along with automated image alignment, aberration correction, spot detection and EV sizing. We achieve an EV sizing range from 37 to ∼220nm in diameter with a dual 440 and 740nm SP illumination scheme, and suggest that this range can be extended by more advanced image analysis or additional hardware customization. We benchmark SP to flow cytometry using calibrated silica nanoparticles and demonstrate superior, label-free sensitivity. We showcase SPFI's potential for EV analysis by experimentally distinguishing surface and volumetric EV dyes, observing the deformation of EVs adsorbed to a surface, and by uncovering distinct subpopulations in <100nm-in-diameter EVs with fluorescently tagged membrane proteins.

Comparison of optimized surface ablation and combined customized plus optimized surface ablation in myopic eyes

Background Proscan treats errors of refraction without affecting asphericity, while customized treatment treats correction with high-order aberration (HOA). Recently, Zyoptix HD has been used in the treatment of preoperative HOA and lower-order aberrations without inducing spherical aberrations. Aim To compare the visual outcomes and HOAs after optimized surface ablation versus Zyoptix HD surface ablation for myopia. Patients and methods A prospective comparative clinically controlled study was conducted on patients who have myopia, 40 eyes of 20 patients divided into two groups. Group I: 20 eyes underwent optimized surface ablation. Group II: 20 eyes underwent customized plus optimized surface ablation. The selection of treatment was according to root mean square and spherical aberration corneal topography. All participants were examined by a slit lamp just after the operation, on the first, third, seventh postoperative day, weekly for 1 month, then biweekly for 3 months. The patients had full follow-up by best corrected visual acuity, slit lamp, Orbscan IIZ, and wavefront aberrometry using Zywave after 3 months of procedure. Results The comparison between preoperative uncorrected visual acuity and 3 months postoperative uncorrected visual acuity improved significantly in both groups but better in group II. The comparison between preoperative and 3 months postoperative root mean square in group I increased significantly, and in group II improved significantly, which is better in group II. Conclusion Zyoptix HD is superior to optimized surface ablation in the correction of low-order and high-order eye aberrations, correcting myopia and visual acuity.

Feasibility of Hologram-Assisted Bilateral Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in Non-Human Primates.

Focused ultrasound (FUS) and microbubbles facilitate blood-brain barrier opening (BBBO) noninvasively, transiently, and safely for targeted drug delivery. Unlike state-of-the-art approaches, in this study, we demonstrate for the first time the simultaneous, bilateral BBBO in non-human primates (NHPs) using acoustic holograms at caudate and putamen structures. The simple and low-cost system with a single-element FUS transducer and 3-D printed acoustic hologram was guided by neuronavigation and a robotic arm. The advantages of holograms are transcranial aberration correction, simultaneous multifocus and high localization, and target-independent transducer positioning, defining a promising alternative for time- and cost-efficient FUS procedures. Holograms were designed with the k-space method by time-reversal techniques. T1-weighted MRI was used for treatment planning, while the computed tomography (CT) scan provided the head tissues acoustic properties. For the BBBO procedure, a robotic arm allowed transducer positioning errors below 0.1 mm and 0.1°. Following positioning, 0.5-0.6-MPa, 513-kHz microbubble-enhanced FUS was applied for 4 min. For BBBO assessment, Post-FUS T1-weighted MRI was acquired, and contrast enhancement indicated bilateral gadolinium extravasation at both caudate or putamen structures. The two BBBO locations were separated by 13.13 mm with a volume of 91.81 mm3 in the caudate, compared with 9.40 mm with a volume of 124.52 mm3 in simulation, while they were separated by 21.74 mm with a volume of 145.38 mm3 in the putamen and compared with 22.32 mm with a volume of 156.42 mm3 in simulation. No neurological damage was observed through T2-weighted and susceptibility-weighted imaging. This study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of hologram-assisted neuronavigation-guided-FUS for BBBO in NHP, providing thus an avenue for clinical translation.

Efficient, gigapixel-scale, aberration-free whole slide scanner using angular ptychographic imaging with closed-form solution.

Whole slide imaging provides a wide field-of-view (FOV) across cross-sections of biopsy or surgery samples, significantly facilitating pathological analysis and clinical diagnosis. Such high-quality images that enable detailed visualization of cellular and tissue structures are essential for effective patient care and treatment planning. To obtain such high-quality images for pathology applications, there is a need for scanners with high spatial bandwidth products, free from aberrations, and without the requirement for z-scanning. Here we report a whole slide imaging system based on angular ptychographic imaging with a closed-form solution (WSI-APIC), which offers efficient, tens-of-gigapixels, large-FOV, aberration-free imaging. WSI-APIC utilizes oblique incoherent illumination for initial high-level segmentation, thereby bypassing unnecessary scanning of the background regions and enhancing image acquisition efficiency. A GPU-accelerated APIC algorithm analytically reconstructs phase images with effective digital aberration corrections and improved optical resolutions. Moreover, an auto-stitching technique based on scale-invariant feature transform ensures the seamless concatenation of whole slide phase images. In our experiment, WSI-APIC achieved an optical resolution of 772 nm using a 10×/0.25 NA objective lens and captures 80-gigapixel aberration-free phase images for a standard 76.2 mm × 25.4 mm microscopic slide.

Transducer module apodization to reduce bone heating during focused ultrasound uterine fibroid ablation with phased arrays: A numerical study.

During magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) surgery for uterine fibroids, ablation of fibrous tissues in proximity to the hips and spine is challenging due to heating within the bone that can cause patients to experience pain and potentially damage nerves. This far-field bone heating limits the volume of fibroid tissue that is treatable viaMRgFUS. To investigate transducer module apodization for improving the ratio of focal-to-bone heating ( ) when targeting fibroid tissue close to the hips and spine, to enable MRgFUS treatments closer to thebone. Acoustic and thermal simulations were performed using 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived anatomies of ten patients who underwent MRgFUS ablation for uterine fibroids using a low-frequency ( ) 6144-element flat fully-populated modular phased array system (Arrayus Technologies Inc., Burlington, Canada) at our institution as part of a larger clinical trial (NCT03323905). Transducer modules ( per module) whose beams intersected with no-pass zones delineated within the field were identified, their output power levels were reduced by varying blocking percentage levels, and the resulting temperature field distributions were evaluated across multiple sonications near the hip and spine bones in each patient. Acoustic and thermal simulations took approximately ( ) and ( ) to run for a single near-spine (near-hip) target,respectively. For all simulated sonications, transducer module blocking improved compared to the no blocking case. In just over half of sonications, full module blocking maximized (increase of 82% 38% in 50% of hip targets and 49% 30% in 62% of spine targets vs. no blocking; mean±SD), at the cost of more diffuse focusing (focal heating volumes increased by 13%±13% for hip targets and 39%±27% for spine targets) and thus requiring elevated total (hip: 6%±17%, spine: 37%±17%) and peak module-wise (hip: 65%±36%, spine: 101%±56%) acoustic power levels to achieve equivalent focal heating as the no blocking control case. In the remaining sonications, partial module blocking provided further improvements in both (increased by 29%±25% in the hip and 15%±12% in the spine) and focal heating volume (decrease of 20%±10% in the hip and 34%±17% in the spine) relative to the full blocking case. The optimal blocking percentage value was dependent on the specific patient geometry and target location of interest. Although not all individual target locations saw the benefit, element-wise phase aberration corrections improved the average compared to the no correction case (increase of 52%±47% in the hip, 35%±24% in the spine) and impacted the optimal blocking percentage value. Transducer module blocking enabled ablative treatments to be carried out closer to both hip and spine without overheating or damaging the bone (no blocking: / , full blocking: / , optimal partial blocking: / for hip/spine). The proposed transducer apodization scheme shows promise for improving MRgFUS treatments of uterine fibroids, and may ultimately increase the effective treatment envelope of MRgFUS surgery in the body by enabling tissue ablation closer to bonystructures.

Improving SMF coupling efficiency in aberrated optical system through optical system aberration correction method based on MPLC

In spatial laser communication terminals, the distortion of wavefront caused by the aberrations due to optical system processing and installation errors reduces the coupling efficiency of single-mode fiber (SMF). A method based on Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) is proposed to correct optical system aberrations and improve the coupling efficiency by converting the distorted light into Gaussian beam which matches SMF through a succession of phase planes. The Gaussian beam to SMF coupling efficiency model is firstly established and demonstrates that the SMF coupling efficiency can be effectively improved to 100% by converting the incident light into Gaussian beam which matches the SMF mode. The optical system aberration correction comparison simulation and experiment is conducted, and the results show after correcting aberrations using MPLC, the coupling efficiency increases from less than 0.1%–58.61% compared to distorted light directly coupling into SMF. Results show that the optical system aberrations are effectively corrected by this method, which has a certain reference value for the study of improving the coupling efficiency.

Advanced Phase Diversity Method for telescope static aberration compensation

Accurate calibration is essential for high-performance Adaptive Optics (AO) systems in astronomy. This paper presents a novel methodology for AO systems calibration that preserves the optical path integrity while achieving high-quality results. By eliminating the need for optical modifications, this approach simplifies system complexity and accounts for all static aberrations. The main novelty of this proposal is an advanced Phase Diversity (PD) method for estimating static optical aberrations. Unlike conventional PD techniques, this approach uses the AO system’s deformable mirror to introduce different diversities, eliminating the need for additional calibration hardware. Furthermore, the optimizer Adam is introduced for the first time in this field to estimate the optical aberrations. To evaluate the performance of this new methodology, a set of experiments under varying operating conditions and optimization parameters has been conducted. Results demonstrated that the presented methodology is capable of providing diffraction-limited corrected images with a Strehl Ratio (SR) exceeding 0.80 within 2 min. Furthermore, employing a Manhattan distance-based error function effectively balanced estimation speed and accuracy. The method demonstrated effectiveness across a wide range of aberration magnitudes, achieving an error of 3 nm in the best scenarios. This proposal represents an advancement in the identification and correction of static aberrations in telescope optical systems, directly improving the acquisition of high-quality references for AO sensing.

Gastrointestinal image stitching based on improved unsupervised algorithm.

Image stitching is a traditional but challenging computer vision task. The goal is to stitch together multiple images with overlapping areas into a single, natural-looking, high-resolution image without ghosts or seams. This article aims to increase the field of view of gastroenteroscopy and reduce the missed detection rate. To this end, an improved depth framework based on unsupervised panoramic image stitching of the gastrointestinal tract is proposed. In addition, preprocessing for aberration correction of monocular endoscope images is introduced, and a C2f module is added to the image reconstruction network to improve the network's ability to extract features. A comprehensive real image data set, GASE-Dataset, is proposed to establish an evaluation benchmark and training learning framework for unsupervised deep gastrointestinal image splicing. Experimental results show that the MSE, RMSE, PSNR, SSIM and RMSE_SW indicators are improved, while the splicing time remains within an acceptable range. Compared with traditional image stitching methods, the performance of this method is enhanced. In addition, improvements are proposed to address the problems of lack of annotated data, insufficient generalization ability and insufficient comprehensive performance in image stitching schemes based on supervised learning. These improvements provide valuable aids in gastrointestinal examination.

Self-interference digital holography with computational aberration correction

Self-interference digital holography (SIDH) enables 3D imaging of incoherently emitting objects over a large axial range using only three 2D images. Our previous research demonstrated that point-like sources emitting as few as 4,200 photons can be reconstructed over a 10 µm axial range. Combining SIDH with single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) has the potential to achieve 3D super-resolution imaging across a large axial range without mechanical refocusing of the sample. However, optical aberrations affect the localization performance of SIDH and must be corrected, especially for large-volume 3D imaging. In this paper, we propose a fast, guide-star-free computational aberration correction method for SIDH. Our method can correct optical aberrations in low signal light conditions over the entire imaging axial range without any additional hardware. We use a sensorless-AO method in a virtual pupil plane to optimize the wavefront based on a frequency-space metric. Using this method, we demonstrate an improvement in both the Strehl ratio up to ∼0.98 and the SIDH localization precision to near the ideal case.