Topography retrieval using different solutions of the transport intensity equation

The topography of a phase plate is recovered from the phase reconstruction by solving the transport intensity equation (TIE). The TIE is solved using two different approaches: (a) the classical solution of solving the Poisson differential equation and (b) an algebraic approach with Zernike functions. In this paper we present and compare the topography reconstruction of a phase plate with these solution methods and justify why one solution is preferable over the other.