Yuval Kashter

Optical compressive change and motion detection

Localization information of moving and changing objects, as commonly extracted from video sequences, is typically very sparse with respect to the full data frames, thus fulfilling one of the basic conditions of compressive sensing theory. Motivated by this observation, we developed an optical compressive change and motion-sensing technique that detects the location of moving objects by using a significantly fewer samples than conventionally taken. We present examples of motion detection and motion tracking with over two orders of magnitude fewer samples than required with conventional systems.

Coded aperture correlation holography–a new type of incoherent digital holograms

We propose and demonstrate a new concept of incoherent digital holography termed coded aperture correlation holography (COACH). In COACH, the hologram of an object is formed by the interference of light diffracted from the object, with light diffracted from the same object, but that passes through a coded phase mask (CPM). Another hologram is recorded for a point object, under identical conditions and with the same CPM. This hologram is called the point spread function (PSF) hologram. The reconstructed image is obtained by correlating the object hologram with the PSF hologram. The image reconstruction of multiplane object using COACH was compared with that of other equivalent imaging systems, and has been found to possess a higher axial resolution compared to Fresnel incoherent correlation holography.

Coded aperture correlation holography system with improved performance [Invited]

Coded aperture correlation holography (COACH) is a recently introduced technique for recording incoherent digital holograms of general three-dimensional scenes. In COACH, a random-like coded phase mask (CPM) is used as a coded aperture. Even though the CPM is optimized to reduce background noise, there is still a substantial amount of noise, mitigating the performance of COACH. In order to reduce the noise, we first modify the hologram reconstruction method. Instead of computing the correlation between a complex hologram of the entire object and a hologram of a source point, in this study the numerical correlation is performed with a phase-only filter. In other words, the phase function of the Fourier transform of the source point hologram is used as the spatial filter in the correlation process. Furthermore, we propose and demonstrate two additional methods for reducing the background noise in COACH. The first is based on the integration of a quadratic phase function, as used in Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (FINCH), with the CPM of COACH. This hybrid COACH-FINCH system enables a dynamic trade-off between the amount of background noise and the axial resolution of the system. The second method is employed by recording COACH holograms with multiple independent CPMs and averaging over the reconstructed images. The results of the above two techniques are compared with FINCH and with a regular imaging system.

Enhanced super resolution using Fresnel incoherent correlation holography with structured illumination.

The structured illumination (SI) technique has already been well established as a resolution enhancer in many studies and well demonstrated in many optical imaging systems during the past decade. The ability to use the SI in incoherent imaging systems was also introduced, especially in fluorescence microscopy. In this Letter, we propose and demonstrate a new approach to combine the SI technique with the recently innovated motionless incoherent holographic system, called Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (FINCH), in order to enhance the resolution beyond the limits achieved in regular imaging with SI. The results obtained by use of SI-FINCH were compared against regular imaging, regular FINCH and SI-imaging.

Sparse synthetic aperture with Fresnel elements (S-SAFE) using digital incoherent holograms.

Creating a large-scale synthetic aperture makes it possible to break the resolution boundaries dictated by the wave nature of light of common optical systems. However, their implementation is challenging, since the generation of a large size continuous mosaic synthetic aperture composed of many patterns is complicated in terms of both phase matching and time-multiplexing duration. In this study we present an advanced configuration for an incoherent holographic imaging system with super resolution qualities that creates a partial synthetic aperture. The new system, termed sparse synthetic aperture with Fresnel elements (S-SAFE), enables significantly decreasing the number of the recorded elements, and it is free from positional constrains on their location. Additionally, in order to obtain the best image quality we propose an optimal mosaicking structure derived on the basis of physical and numerical considerations, and introduce three reconstruction approaches which are compared and discussed. The super-resolution capabilities of the proposed scheme and its limitations are analyzed, numerically simulated and experimentally demonstrated.

Resolving images by blurring: superresolution method with a scattering mask between the observed objects and the hologram recorder

An important quest in optical imaging has been, and still is, extending the resolution of imaging systems beyond the diffraction limit. We propose a superresolution technique in which the image is first blurred by a scattering mask, and then recovered from the blurry data with improved resolution. We introduced a scattering mask into the space between the observed objects and the objective lens of a Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (FINCH) system to demonstrate the method. Optical waves, containing high spatial frequencies of the object, which are usually filtered out by the limited system aperture, were introduced into the system due to the scattering nature of the scattering mask. As a consequence, both the effective numerical aperture and the spatial bandwidth of the system were enlarged. The image resolution could therefore be improved far beyond the resolution limit dictated by the limited numerical aperture of the system. We demonstrated the technique using a modified FINCH system and the results were compared with other systems, all having the same aperture dimensions. We showed a resolution enhancement in comparison to conventional FINCH and regular imaging systems, with the same numerical apertures. The theoretical and experimental data presented here establishes the proposed method as an attractive platform for an advanced superresolution system that can resolve better than conventional imaging systems.

Incoherent digital holography with phase-only spatial light modulators

Abstract. Today, spatial light modulators (SLMs) offer the world of digital holography a robust technology that can be incorporated into hologram recorders. This review surveys recent developments related to the role of SLMs in a family of incoherent digital hologram recorders termed Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (FINCH). Two systems branching out from FINCH, and discussed herein, are a confocal version of FINCH and a synthetic aperture FINCH-based system.

Recent advances in FINCH technology

Incoherent digital holography (IDH) offers the ability to record a complete three-dimensional scene without using lasers. In this review paper, the evolution of a well-established method of IDH, the Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (FINCH), is described. Following the FINCH development review, several recently developed methods branched out from FINCH are discussed.

Enhanced Resolution Using Fresnel Incoherent Correlation Holography With Structured Illumination

We present a digital incoherent holographic system, called structured illuminated Fresnel incoherent correlation holography (SI-FINCH). The lateral resolution of SI-FINCH is beyond the limit achieved by structured illumination based regular imaging system.

Coded Aperture Incoherent Digital Holography

A new incoherent digital holography concept using a coded aperture is proposed. Holograms of an object and a point object are recorded under identical conditions. The image is reconstructed by correlating the two holograms.