Quantitative single-shot imaging of complex objects using phase retrieval with a designed periphery

Measuring transmission and optical thickness of an object with a single intensity recording is desired in many fields of imaging research. One possibility to achieve this is to employ phase retrieval algorithms. We propose a method to significantly improve the performance of such algorithms in optical imaging. The method relies on introducing a specially designed phase object into the specimen plane during the image recording, which serves as a constraint in the subsequent phase retrieval algorithm. This leads to faster algorithm convergence and improved final accuracy. Quantitative imaging can be performed by a single recording of the resulting diffraction pattern in the camera plane, without using lenses or other optical elements. The method allows effective suppression of the "twin-image", an artefact that appears when holograms are read out. Results from numerical simulations and experiments confirm a high accuracy which can be comparable to that of phase-stepping interferometry.