Confocal diffraction phase microscopy of live cells

We present a new quantitative phase microscopy technique, confocal diffraction phase microscopy, which provides quantitative phase measurements from localized sites on a sample with high sensitivity. The technique combines common-path interferometry with confocal microscopy in a transmission geometry. The capability of the technique for static imaging is demonstrated by imaging polystyrene microspheres and live HT29 cells, while dynamic imaging is demonstrated by quantifying the nanometer scale fluctuations of red blood cell membranes.     

Spectral-domain optical coherence phase microscopy for quantitative phase-contrast imaging

We describe a novel microscopy technique for quantitative phase-contrast imaging of a transparent specimen. The technique is based on depth-resolved phase information provided by common path spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and can measure minute phase variations caused by changes in refractive index and thickness inside the specimen. We demonstrate subnanometer level path-length sensitivity and present images obtained on reflection from a known phase object and human epithelial cheek cells.     

En face imaging of single cell layers by differential phase-contrast optical coherence microscopy

Optical coherence microscopy (OCM) is capable of imaging the backscattering potential of a sample with high transversal and axial resolution. We report on a combination of OCM with a differential phase-contrast technique that permits imaging of the subwavelength optical path differences that occur between a narrow beam probing a sample and its surrounding. This technique allows small transversal refractive-index variations close to a selected interface to be seen. We report on the method and present first images of a test sample and a single cell layer. The cells act as phase objects; imaging the phase properties improves the contrast compared with that of intensity images.     

基于位相变更的非相干数字全息自适应成像

菲涅耳非相干数字全息作为一种非扫描的三维成像技术具有其独特的优势,但其成像过程中会受到各种像差的影响,导致成像分辨率、再现像的质量降低.为了解决这一问题,可以结合适当的自适应光学技术对波前像差进行探测和校正.位相变更是一种基于两幅具有已知位相差的强度图像实现波前探测和像差校正的技术.本文发展了基于位相变更的非相干数字全息自适应成像技术,不需要引入引导星,利用全息记录过程中的两幅相移全息图,实现波前像差的探测.本文给出了所发展技术的数值仿真和实验结果,结合位相变更算法求解出系统像差的位相分布,将像差的共轭位相加载到光瞳面上,在全息图记录的同时校正像差,从而提高重建像的质量.     

Laplace field microscopy for label-free imaging of dynamic biological structures

We present Laplace field microscopy as a method for generating intrinsic contrast of transparent specimens. This technique uses a spatial light modulator to perform the Laplacian of the field in the Fourier plane of a microscope image. The resulting image incorporates phase information and thus renders high contrast images from phase objects. We demonstrate the potential of the method by imaging index-matched beads, unlabeled tissue slices, and dynamic live cells.     

天文望远镜像差对斑点成像技术的影响

着重研究了采用斑点成像技术处理天文望远镜图像时,光学系统固定像差对图像恢复结果的影响。在详细研究各种恢复天文图像振幅和相位的理论和方法的基础上,建立了一个包括Labeyrie振幅恢复方法和KnoxThompson相位重构方法的恢复扩展目标的斑点成像处理模型,分析了光学系统固定像差对系统传递函数相位分布和目标相位重构的影响：天文目标通过大气成像,固定像差将会被淹没在大气湍流随机起伏中,像差对相位重构没有显著影响。处理图像结果表明,斑点成像技术能同时消除大气湍流和望远镜系统固定像差的影响,得到高分辨力的扩展目标图像。还提出了一种消除光学系统像差的方法。     

Phase-contrast X-ray imaging of the gas diffusion layer of fuel cells

The understanding of and in situ observation of the transport and distribution of water in carbon‐paper gas diffusion layers (GDLs) using non‐destructive imaging techniques is critical for achieving high performance in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). To investigate the behavior of water in GDLs of PEFCs, phase‐contrast X‐ray imaging via X‐ray interferometric imaging (XII) and diffraction‐enhanced imaging (DEI) were performed using 35 keV X‐rays. The XII technique is useful for the radiographic imaging of GDLs and in situ observations of water evolution processes in operating PEFCs. DEI provides a way for tomographic imaging of GDLs in PEFCs. Because high‐energy X‐rays are applicable to the imaging of both carbon papers and heavy materials, which make up PEFCs, phase‐contrast X‐ray imaging techniques have proven to be valuable for investigation of GDLs.     

X射线相衬成像应用于惯性约束核聚变多层球壳靶丸检测

随着惯性约束核聚变(ICF)研究的逐步深入,尤其是氘氚(DT)燃料层球壳梯度掺杂的广泛应用,对轻物质界面的诊断需求日益增长.在北京同步辐射形貌成像站的微米CT机上利用类同轴相衬成像方法获取了三层球壳靶丸的相衬图像,最佳空间分辨率达到了2μupm,衬度达到12%;通过分析边缘增强函数和衬度传递函数之间的关系,总结出一套完整的类同轴相衬成像方法,同时将相衬成像结果与吸收成像结果对比.实验结果表明,X射线相衬成像在轻物质界面的分辨中具有明显的优势,能够广泛应用于ICF研究、医学断层扫描CT装置和生物结构等前沿科学领域.     

Object plane detection and phase-amplitude imaging based on transport of intensity equation

By using transport of intensity equation (TIE), phase distribution of an object is retrieved from through-focus intensity images. This technique allows simple and robust phase imaging compared with an interferometric approach. However, it is hard to measure phase distribution when a dynamic object moves in the direction of an optical axis. To clear this problem, autofocusing TIE which is based on local statistics is proposed. The proposed technique achieves the detection of the object plane and the retrieval of a focused object phase distribution simultaneously. In this approach, an object plane is determined by the focusing techniques based on local statistics such as variance, gradient, and Laplacian of amplitude distribution, after phase distribution in an image sensor plane is retrieved by the TIE. The performance of these three statistics is evaluated in numerical and optical experiments, and a suitable focus value is determined for precise phase imaging.     

Digital holographic microscopy for automated 3D cell identification: an overview (Invited Paper)

Digital holographic （DH） microscopy is a promising technique for quantitative phase contrast imaging. It provides complex amplitude of the object wavefront, which in turn yields the thickness distribution of the object. An added advantage of the technique is its ability for numerical focusing, which provides the thickness distribution of the object at different axial planes. In this invited paper, we present an overview of our reported work on two beam DH microscopyto acquire different cell parameters for cell imaging and automated cell identification. Applications to automated cells and automated identification of malaria infected red monitoring of stem cells without destroying the blood ceils are discussed.     

A matched filter echo summation technique for MRI

A technique is presented to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in two-dimensional (2D), phase-encoded imaging at low SNR. The essence of this technique is to combine multiple echoes in the time domain. As analyzed in the paper, phase discrepancies exist among different echoes and may deteriorate the combined echo. In particular, extraneous phase shifts can be created if unshielded gradient coils are used. To overcome these phase discrepancies, a matched filter was derived from the k = 0 component of image. This matched filter has the same phase discrepancies among its echoes as the imaging signal and its magnitude decays with an average T₂. In the echo summation with the matched filter, the phase of the matched filter was subtracted from the imaging signal and the magnitude of the matched filter was used as the weighting function. We have shown that this matched filter echo summation technique has better SNR than the case of 2D, phase-encoded imaging in both simulation and experiment. The SNR improvement is up to 60% in a phantom experiment. This technique is mostly useful in low SNR imaging that requires long imaging time, such as spectroscopic imaging and ¹⁹F imaging.     

Acoustic field imaging by light reflection at the free surface of a liquid

In this paper we present a novel technique for acoustic field imaging. This technique is based on reflection of a collimated laser beam at the free surface of a liquid. The reflected beam becomes phase modulated by the acoustic wave as in acoustical holographic systems. We do not use a reference acoustical beam for holographic reconstruction but we observe this phase modulation using dark-field techniques. It gives a measurement of the acoustic field power as a function of the position. The authors have built an optical imaging system and carried out experiments with piezocomposite transducers. The technique presented in this work is able to give fast quantitative information about the performance of individual ceramic rods of the piezocomposite.     

基于谱域相位分辨光学相干层析的纳米级表面形貌成像

提出了一种基于谱域相位分辨光学相干层析的纳米级表面形貌成像方法,由干涉光谱计算样品相邻两点的相位差,得到样品表面相位差分图,经过积分,重建样品表面形貌的定量分布.当相邻两点相位差的绝对值小于π,不产生相位包裹,避免了目前的干涉法相位解包裹存在的问题,将干涉法相邻两点相位差绝对值的限制条件由目前的π扩大到2π,提高了干涉法表面形貌成像的适用范围.参考面和样品置于同一平台之上,消除环境干扰及系统振动的影响,噪声幅度小于0.3 nm.通过对光学分辨率片及表面粗糙度标准样板的表面形貌成像,对本方法进行了验证,系统的轴向分辨率优于1 nm.     

Programmable Colored Illumination Microscopy (PCIM): A practical and flexible optical staining approach for microscopic contrast enhancement

Programmable colored illumination microscopy (PCIM) has been proposed as a flexible optical staining technique for microscopic contrast enhancement. In this method, we replace the condenser diaphragm of a conventional microscope with a programmable thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD). By displaying different patterns on the LCD, numerous established imaging modalities can be realized, such as bright field, dark field, phase contrast, oblique illumination, and Rheinberg illuminations, which conventionally rely on intricate alterations in the respective microscope setups. Furthermore, the ease of modulating both the color and the intensity distribution at the aperture of the condenser opens the possibility to combine multiple microscopic techniques, or even realize completely new methods for optical color contrast staining, such as iridescent dark-field and iridescent phase-contrast imaging. The versatility and effectiveness of PCIM is demonstrated by imaging of several transparent colorless specimens, such as unstained lung cancer cells, diatom, textile fibers, and a cryosection of mouse kidney. Finally, the potentialities of PCIM for RGB-splitting imaging with stained samples are also explored by imaging stained red blood cells and a histological section.     

Jones phase microscopy of transparent and anisotropic samples

We developed an interferometric microscopy technique, referred to as Jones phase microscopy, capable of extracting the spatially resolved Jones polarization matrix associated with transparent and anisotropic samples. This is a generalization of quantitative phase imaging, which is recovered from one diagonal element of the measured matrix. The principle of the technique is demonstrated with measurements of a liquid crystal spatial light modulator and the potential for live cell imaging with experiments on live neurons in culture.     

CSF flow artifact reduction using cardiac cycle ordered phase-encoding method

The flow effects appear as a change of phase as well as signal intensity in NMR imaging. Since the flow of blood and CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) is pulsatile due to the heart pumping, their velocities are not constant during NMR imaging. This type of velocity fluctuation such as the blood or CSF flow induces irregular flow-dependent phase shifts, which have been one of the main causes of flow artifacts in NMR imaging. In order to reduce the flow artifacts, especially the CSF flow artifacts, a new cardiac cycle ordered phase encoding method is proposed and has been studied. This proposed technique utilizes the cardiac cycle as a precursor for the phase encoding gradients similar to the ROPE (respiratory ordered phase encoding) technique which has been used for respiratory motion artifact reduction. The basic concept and its applications are discussed together with the experimental results obtained with human volunteers using the KAIS 2.0 2.0 T whole-body NMR imaging system.     

MEMS微变形镜测试技术及算法研究

介绍了基于计算机控制的频闪显微干涉测量技术,实现了对MEMS微变形镜的表面形貌、离面变形、静态电压-位移曲线和谐振频率的测量。采用频闪成像、计算机微视觉技术以及基于最小二乘曲面拟合法的亚像素定位技术实现了对平面内微位移的测量;利用频闪成像以及5步相移干涉技术实现了对干涉相位的提取,建立了适合于MEMS微变形镜特性测试的相位解缠算法,恢复了代表被测物体表面形貌的真实相位,实现了微变形镜静动态特性的测试。测试结果表明:频闪显微相移干涉测量技术具有测量速度快、精度高、易实现自动控制等特点。     

硬X射线相位光栅的设计与研制

针对在普通实验室和医院实现40—100keVX射线相衬成像的需求,考虑到成像系统参数、X射线源空间相干特性及光栅衍射效率,设计出硅基相位光栅结构参数.利用我们已发展的光助电化学刻蚀技术研制出直径为5英寸的相位光栅,其空间周期为5.6μm,线宽为2.8μm,深度为40—70μm.在理论分析的基础上,通过提高硅片两端有效工作电压和修正Lehmann电流密度公式,解决了实际刻蚀过程中出现的钻蚀问题.由实验结果可知,本方案对制作大面积高精度相位光栅十分有效。     

复谱频域OCT成像的研究

采用频域技术的OCT系统，深度扫描信息由背向散射光谱的傅立叶反变换获得，简化了轴向扫描过程，从而使快速OCT成像成为可能．为了实现复杂生物组织的OCT快速成像，消除谱频域OCT的“混叠”现象、重建样品的真实层析结构，本文引入了相移干涉技术，构建了一套满量程复谱频域OCT实验系统，并为系统设计了特殊的分束镜和移相器，为最终实现复杂生物组织的OCT快速成像提供了条件．     

Simulation study of phase retrieval for hard X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging

X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) is a novel method that exploits the phase shift for the incident X-ray to form an image. For light elements such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, the phase-shift term can be up to 1000 times greater than the absorption term in the hard X-ray energy region. So XPCI has attracted much attention in recent years. Various methods for XPCI have been proposed and demonstrated on synchrotron devices and other X-ray sources[1―13], particularly the in-line metho…