Patent Application: US-8926602-A

Abstract:
a simple digital holographic apparatus and method allow reconstruction of three - dimensional objects with a very narrow depth of focus or high axial resolution . a number of holograms are optically generated using different wavelengths spaced at regular intervals . they are recorded , such as on a digital camera , and are reconstructed numerically . multiwavelength interference of the holograms results in contour planes of very small thickness and wide separation . objects at different distances from the hologram plane are imaged clearly and independently with complete suppression of the out - of - focus images . the technique is uniquely available only in digital holography and has applications in holographic microscopy .

Description:
a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be presented with reference to fig1 – 11 . the apparatus 10 of the present invention is depicted in fig1 . a ring dye laser 12 provides a 595 . 0 - nm laser field of ˜ 50 - mw power with a linewidth of ˜ 50 mhz . the laser beam is expanded with a microscope objective 14 to 20 mm diameter and divided into three parts using beam splitters 16 , 18 . one of these provides the planar reference beam 20 , while the other two 22 , 24 constitute the object beam . the object consists of two transparency targets attached to the back - reflecting mirrors ( m ) 26 , 28 in separate optical arms , in order to avoid obstruction of one object by the other in the same optical path . one target 30 ( obj 1 ) is a checkerboard pattern with 2 . 5 - mm grid size , and the other target 32 ( obj 2 ) is a transparent letter “ a ” that fits inside an opaque square of side 13 mm . the object 22 , 24 and reference 20 beams are combined in a michaelson interferometer arrangement and sent to a translucent mylar screen s 34 . the object distances to the screen are approximately 149 and 167 cm . the interference pattern on the screen is imaged , for example , by digital camera 36 , such as a kodak dc120 , through another lens l 2 38 for adjustment of focus and magnification . the exemplary camera 36 has 960 × 1280 pixels with 10 × 10 μm 2 pixel size . the calculations presented here use 256 × 256 pixel images of screen area 13 × 13 mm , so that the effective pixel resolution on the screen is 51 μm , although this is not intended to be limiting . the corresponding minimum distance for the object is then 1 . 1 m , in order to accommodate the interference between rays emanating from the two ends of a 13 - mm object . for each hologram , the reference beam and the object beam are imaged separately , so that these images can be subtracted before reconstruction and the resulting images do not contain zero - order terms . it is not attempted to eliminate the conjugate image . the process is repeated a plurality of times , here up to 11 laser frequencies spaced 1 . 0 ghz apart , to achieve a desired axial period λ of the resultant hologram images , here 30 cm , and a desired axial resolution δ , here 3 . 0 cm . for reconstruction of images , a software package , for example , a matlab program , encodes the fresnel diffraction , which is equivalent to eq . ( 2 ) with appropriate approximations ( goodman , 1968 ): e ( x , y ; z )= exp [( ik / 2 z )( x 2 + y 2 )] f { e 0 ( x 0 , y 0 ) s ( x 0 , y 0 ; z )}[ k x , k y ] s ( x , y ; z )=−( ik / z ) exp [ ikz +( ik / 2 z )( x 2 + y 2 )] k x = kx / z , k y = ky / z , and f { f }[ k ] represents a fourier transform f with respect to the variable k . fig2 a – 2d illustrate the input images of the reference ( r , fig2 a ), the object ( o , using obj 1 , fig2 b ), the interference hologram between the two ( h , fig2 c ), and the subtracted image e = h − r − o ( fig2 d ). the holographic image in fig2 e of the single object is reconstructed at z i = 149 cm , and shows typical resolution and quality of the reconstructed images ( z o and z i are object and image distances , respectively , measured from the screen ). the remaining fringe pattern inside the squares is due to the out - of - focus twin image . fig3 a shows the hologram with both objects obj 1 and obj 2 on , after subtraction of reference and object images . the images are reconstructed near the two object distances ( fig3 b ) z i1 = 149 cm and ( fig3 c ) z i2 = 165 cm . the two images are substantially indistinguishable and contain images of both objects , although it is possible to discern differences in the sharpness of focus between the two images . the axial resolution determined by focal sharpness is at least ˜ 15 cm , as can be seen in fig4 a , where the vertical axis is a slice of the reconstructed image along the dotted vertical line of fig3 c and the horizontal axis is the image distance z i from 140 to 190 cm . in fig4 b two holograms with frequency separation of 1 . 0 ghz are combined , showing the expected cosine - squared modulation with a period of 30 cm , whereas in fig4 c , two frequencies 2 . 0 ghz apart are combined and the period is now 15 cm . in fig4 d , three relative frequencies of 0 . 0 , 1 . 0 , and 2 . 0 ghz are combined , and the narrowing of interference maxima is evident ( cf . fig4 b and 4d ). also note that the images of obj 1 and obj 2 focus at different z i locations : the three bright areas near z i = 150 cm ( and also at 180 cm ) are the three bright squares of obj 1 &# 39 ; s checkerboard , while the bright patch near y =− 3 . 0 mm , z i = 165 cm corresponds to the lower left corner of obj 2 &# 39 ; s letter “ a .” carrying this process further , eleven holograms with frequencies 0 . 0 , 1 . 0 , 2 . 0 , . . . , 10 . 0 ghz are combined in fig4 e , which results in an axial resolution of ˜ 3 cm , as expected . the images at two distances are shown in fig5 a for z i1 = 149 cm and z i2 = 165 cm . now each of the images contains only one of obj 1 or obj 2 , and the out - of - focus images are substantially suppressed . the invention thus demonstrates the use of multiwavelength interference of computer - reconstructed holograms for high axial resolution of three - dimensional images . the apparatus is very simple and amenable to electronic automation without mechanical moving parts . even with less - than - optimal laser and imaging systems , the theoretically predicted axial resolution is easily achieved . the main source of imperfection in fig4 a – 4d , for example , was the mode hop and drift of the nonstabilized laser frequency . another embodiment may include , for example , the use of a compact diode laser , direct transfer of an image to a ccd array surface , and automation of the multiple exposure for speed and stability . the technique can be applied to both microscopic and telescopic imaging for cross - sectional imaging of objects of various scales . the cross - sectional images can then be recombined with appropriate scaling for the removal of distortion , resulting in a synthesis of three - dimensional models that can be subjected to further analysis and manipulation . in a second embodiment of the present invention , a holographic apparatus 40 ( fig6 ) comprises a laser , for example , a ring dye laser 41 . a portion , here 50 mw , of the laser &# 39 ; s output is passed through a first neutral density filter 42 and is expanded to a predetermined diameter , here 10 mm , with a beam expander and spatial filter 43 . the beam 90 is apertured 44 to a desired diameter , here 5 mm , and directed to a first beam splitter 45 . a first portion 91 of the split beam passes through a second neutral density filter 46 and becomes the reference beam 92 . a second portion 93 of the split beam is directed to the object 80 , here a damselfly specimen , shown under laser illumination in fig6 a , wherein the eyes , mouthpiece , and front several legs are visible . the scattered light 94 from the object 80 is combined with the reference beam 92 at a second beam splitter 47 to form an interference beam 95 , which then passes through a magnifying lens 48 to image the optical image at the camera &# 39 ; s 49 focal plane 50 onto infinity . the camera 49 , for example , a digital camera ( such as model dc290 , manufactured by kodak , rochester , n . y . ), is focused at infinity , so that it records a magnified image of the optical intensity at the plane s 50 . the object - to - hologram distance 51 here is 195 mm . the object beam 94 preferably should be apertured so that it only illuminates the area of the object 80 that is to be imaged ; otherwise , spurious scattering can seriously degrade the contrast and resolution of the reconstructed image . at a given laser wavelength , three images are recorded : a hologram of the object and reference interference ( hh *=| o + r | 2 , fig8 a ), the object only ( oo *, fig8 b ), and the reference only ( rr *, fig8 c ). the laser wavelength is then stepped , starting from λ 0 = 601 . 7 nm at δλ = 0 . 154 - nm intervals for n = 10 steps , so that the expected axial range is λ = 2 . 35 mm and the axial resolution is δ = 0 . 12 mm . the digitally recorded images are transferred to a computer 52 , where software means 53 , for example , a set of matlab ® scripts , are used for numerical reconstruction . a desired area , here 4 . 8 × 4 . 8 mm , of the image is interpolated to a 512 × 512 pixel matrix . in an alternate embodiment , a ccd array is used instead of the camera 49 , wherein the image magnification and interpolation steps are not performed . the object and reference frames are then numerically subtracted from the hologram frame , hh *- oo *- rr *, before applying fresnel diffraction , to eliminate zero - order diffraction . a clean holographic image is then obtained even at 0 ° offset between the object and reference beams . it is believed that this leaves conjugate images ro * and r * o , but one of these is substantially completely out of focus and does not appear to interfere with the process of the present invention . the holographic image field is then calculated as above . the numerical reconstruction and digital interference proceeds by starting from a 512 × 512 pixel , 4 . 8 × 4 . 8 mm digital hologram ( with zero - order subtraction ). the fresnel diffraction patterns are calculated at n + 1 = 21 z values , z = z 1 + mδ , where z 1 = 195 mm is the original object distance 51 and m =− 10 , − 9 , . . . , 9 , 10 . this results in a 3d array of 512 × 512 × 21 pixels and a 4 . 8 × 4 . 8 × 2 . 35 mm volume , representing the holographic optical field variation in this volume . this process is repeated for 20 sets of triple digitally recorded images at 20 different wavelengths . at this point , the field patterns in the individual 3d arrays show little variation along a few millimeters of the z direction . then the 20 3d arrays are numerically superposed by adding the arrays element wise , resulting in the accumulated field array of the same size . this new array then has a field distribution that represents the 3d object structure , as described previously . in practice , owing to the laser &# 39 ; s frequency fluctuation and imprecision of the wavelength intervals , there is a random phase variation among the 20 calculated field arrays . this may be corrected by introducing a global phase factor into each of the 3d arrays before carrying out the summation . fig7 b is an example of a 2d holographic image reconstructed from a single hologram at z 1 = 195 mm . imaging of diffuse scattering objects , such as the biological specimen of this exemplary illustration , using coherent illumination gives rise to speckle noise , causing degradation of contrast and resolution . this can be reduced somewhat by optimizing the illumination aperture and the overall stability of the optical system . the effect of digital interference is illustrated in fig9 . the animation frames show a 2 . 35 × 4 . 8 mm z - y cross section at x =− 1 . 3 mm , as the holographic field arrays are added on top of each other from 1 to 20 . when n = 1 , the z variation is due to a small diffraction of the field , but at n = 2 the field exhibits cosine variation in the z direction , with a different phase origin depending upon the object - to - surface distance . as further arrays are added , the cosine pattern becomes similar to ∂- function spikes in the z direction . when all 20 field arrays are accumulated , only one z value has a significant intensity above noise for each object surface pixel . fig1 a and 10b show cross - sectional tomographic views of the accumulated field array , with fig1 a showing x - y cross sections as the axial distance z is varied from the front tip of the mouthpiece to the back of the eyes , over a distance of 2 . 35 mm . fig1 b shows z - y cross sections as the x value is varied from 1 . 84 to 0 . 52 mm , or from the edge of the insect &# 39 ; s left eye to the middle of the face . the contrast of these images is numerically enhanced by taking the logarithm and applying thresholding to the calculated field arrays . thus tomographic imaging by wavelength - scanning digital interference is clearly demonstrated . the accumulation of n holographic field arrays has an additional benefit of averaging out the coherent speckle noise . fig7 c is obtained by starting from the accumulated array and summing over the z direction , yielding a 2d image of the object 80 . the resulting image quality approaches that of the photographic image of fig7 a , and the speckle noise is substantially completely removed . further , each object surface element is imaged in focus regardless of the depth of focus of the optical system . this feature is especially beneficial in an embodiment applied to microscopic imaging with a large numerical aperture . an animated 3d reconstruction of the object &# 39 ; s illuminated surface is made by plotting the brightest volume elements in 3d perspective ( fig1 ). as the azimuthal angle rotates , the two eyes and mouthpiece are recognizable as being the most prominent features . two or three front legs are also visible , although there appear to be ghost images present . this embodiment has demonstrated three - dimensional imaging of a small biological specimen using wavelength - scanning digital interference holography . cross - sectional images of the object are generated with clear focus and suppression of coherent speckle noise . the resolutions achieved are ˜ 100 μm in the axial direction and tens of micrometers in the lateral direction , as defined by the optical system and computer capacity of the present embodiment , and are thus not intended as limitations . with a semitransparent microscopic object , full tomographic imaging is possible . brown , g . c ., and r . j . pryputniewicz , “ holographic microscope for measuring displacements of vibrating microbeams using time - averaged , electro - optic holography ,” opt . eng . 37 , 1398 – 405 ( 1998 ). cuche , e ., f . bevilacqua , and c . depeursinge , “ digital holography for quantitative phase - contrast imaging ,” opt . lett . 24 , 291 ( 1999 ). goodman , j . w ., introduction to fourier optics , mcgraw - hill , new york ( 1968 ). herman , b ., and j . j . lemasters , eds ., optical microscopy - emerging methods and applications , academic press ( 1993 ). huang , d ., e . a . swanson , c . p . lin , et al ., “ optical coherence tomography ,” science 254 , 1178 – 81 ( 1991 ). isenberg , g ., ed ., modern optics , electronics , and high precision techniques in cell biology , springer ( 1998 ). karnaukhov , v . n ., n . s . merzlyakov , m . g . mozerov , l . i . dimitrov , and e . wenger , “ digital display holograms ,” optics and lasers in engineering 29 , 361 – 67 ( 1998 ). kim , m . k ., “ wavelength - scanning digital interference holography for optical section imaging ,” opt . lett . 24 , 1693 – 95 ( 1999 ). kreis , t . m ., m . adams , and w . p . o . jüptner , “ methods of digital holography : a comparison ,” proc . spie 3096 224 – 33 ( 1997 ). kreis , t . m ., w . p . o . jüptner , and j . geldmacher , “ digital holography : methods and applications ,” proc . spie 3407 , 169 – 77 ( 1998 ). le clerc , f ., and l . collot , “ numerical heterodyne holography with two - dimensional photodetector arrays ,” opt . lett . 25 , 716 – 18 ( 2000 ). morgner , u ., w . drexler , f . x . kärtner , x . d . li , c . pitris , e . p . ippen , and j . g . fujimoto , “ spectroscopic optical coherence tomography ,” opt . lett . 25 , 111 – 13 ( 2000 ). piestun , r ., j . shamir , b . wesskamp , and o . brynagdahl , “ on axis computer - generated holograms for three - dimensional display ,” opt . lett ., 22 , 922 – 24 ( 1997 ). poon , t . c ., k . b . doh , and b . w . schilling , “ three - dimensional microscopy by optical scanning holography ,” opt . eng . 34 , 1338 – 44 ( 1995 ). robb , r . a ., three - dimensional biomedical imaging , john wiley & amp ; 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