Inverse scattering for reflection intensity phase microscopy

Alex Matlock (1) , Anne Sentenac (2) , Patrick C Chaumet (2) , Ji I Yi (1) , Lei Tian (1)

1 BU - Boston University [Boston]
2 FRESNEL - Institut FRESNEL

Reflection phase imaging provides label-free, high-resolution characterization of biological samples, typically using interferometric-based techniques. Here, we investigate reflection phase microscopy from intensity-only measurements under diverse illumination. We evaluate the forward and inverse scattering model based on the first Born approximation for imaging scattering objects above a glass slide. Under this design, the measured field combines linear forward-scattering and height-dependent nonlinear back-scattering from the object that complicates object phase recovery. Using only the forward-scattering, we derive a linear inverse scattering model and evaluate this model's validity range in simulation and experiment using a standard reflection microscope modified with a programmable light source. Our method provides enhanced contrast of thin, weakly scattering samples that complement transmission techniques. This model provides a promising development for creating simplified intensity-based reflection quantitative phase imaging systems easily adoptable for biological research.

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]

Alex Matlock, Anne Sentenac, Patrick C Chaumet, Ji I Yi, Lei Tian. Inverse scattering for reflection intensity phase microscopy. Biomedical optics express, 2020, 11 (2), pp.911. ⟨10.1364/boe.380845⟩. ⟨hal-02999867⟩