Aberration-free digital holographic phase imaging using the derivative-based principal component analysis.

SIGNIFICANCE

Digital holographic microscopy is widely used to get the quantitative phase information of transparent cells.

AIM

However, the sample phase is superimposed with aberrations. To quantify the phase information, aberrations need to be fully compensated.

APPROACH

We propose a technique to obtain aberration-free phase imaging, using the derivative-based principal component analysis (dPCA).

RESULTS

With dPCA, almost all aberrations can be extracted and compensated without requirements on background segmentation, making it efficient and convenient.

CONCLUSIONS

It solves the problem that the conventional principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm cannot compensate the common but intricate higher order cross-term aberrations, such as astigmatism and coma. Moreover, the dPCA strategy proposed here is not only suitable for aberration compensation but also applicable for other cases where there exist cross-terms that cannot be analyzed with the PCA algorithm.