Noniterative reconstruction of complex-valued objects from two intensity measurements

We present results obtained from the application of a novel phase-retrieval algorithm for recovering a complex-valued object from a set of two intensity measurements. The algorithm requires two intensity measurements at different distances from a weak scatterer, where the total transmitted field is composed of the coherent sum of an incident plane wave and the scattered wave. The algorithm is noniterative and does not have the convergence problems associated with iterative algorithms. The new technique shows great promise for inverse-scattering applications, such as optical diffraction tomography and in-line holography of complex-valued objects, with the aim of eliminating the twin-image problem. Results are presented from a computer simulation of a simple object and from experimental data obtained from a microlens array. Our results obtained using the new algorithm on experimental data compare well with those obtained with a modified form of the Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm, at a significantly reduced computational cost.