Patent ID: 7697145

Claim:
A method, comprising: simultaneously acquiring a first spectrum and a second spectrum having a first predetermined phase difference therebetween from a signal manipulator; determining a first difference spectrum between the first and second spectra; simultaneously acquiring a third and fourth spectra having a second predetermined phase difference therebetween from a signal manipulator, wherein the first and second spectra are orthogonal to the third and fourth spectra, respectively; determining a second difference spectrum between the third and fourth spectra; generating a complex Fourier-domain dataset from the first and second difference spectra, wherein the first difference spectrum comprises the real part of the complex Fourier-domain dataset and the second difference spectrum comprises the imaginary part of the complex Fourier-domain dataset; generating an inverse Fourier transform from the complex Fourier-domain dataset; and generating an image of at least a portion of a sample based on the results of said inverse Fourier transform.