Coherence engineering

Abstract

We describe spatial coherence encoding in an LED array microscope, where a programmable array of LEDs is used in the source plane to pattern the spatial coherence of the illumination. Using this simple setup, we demonstrate various imaging functionality enabled by coherence manipulation: bright-field, darkfield, 3D phase imaging, and enhanced resolution. Our synthetic large NA imaging is an extension of the Fourier Pty-chography method to multiple coherent modes via illumination multiplexing. The result is significant decrease of both acquisition time and data capture requirements.