Noise-reduction algorithms for optimization-based imaging through multi-mode fiber

Three modifications are shown to improve resolution and reduce noise amplification in endoscopic imaging through multi-mode fiber using optimization-based reconstruction (OBR). First, random sampling patterns are replaced by sampling patterns designed to have more nearly equal singular values. Second, the OBR algorithm uses a point-spread function based on the estimated spatial frequency spectrum of the object. Third, the OBR algorithm gives less weight to modes having smaller singular values. In simulations for a step-index fiber supporting 522 spatial modes, the modifications yield a 20% reduction in image error (l(2) norm) in the noiseless case, and a further 33% reduction in image error at a 22-dB shot noise-limited SNR as compared to the original method using random sampling patterns and OBR.