Prior-free mixed speckle simplex separation strategy for multi-object imaging through thin scattering media beyond the optical memory effect

The optical technique of imaging through scattering media based on the optical memory effect (OME) sustains a limited field-of-view (FOV). Therefore, a prior-free imaging method is proposed to reconstruct multiple objects through the scattering media beyond the OME range. Based on the mixed speckle simplex separation strategy designed in this method, separating speckles of sub-objects is simplified as seeking the vertices of the mixed speckle simplex. An effective initial analysis of the mixed speckle simplex constructed by random intensity modulation is provided by vertex component analysis. The exact speckles of sub-objects are then separated by the specially designed non-negative matrix factorization algorithm. The multiple hidden objects can be recovered from the separated speckles respectively. The feasibility and imaging effects of the proposed method have been demonstrated via experiments. Multi-object imaging through the scattering media beyond at least four times the OME range has been realized. This work effectively advances speckle separation strategies to enlarge the limited FOV for imaging through scattering media.