Modularized microscope based on parallel phase-shifting digital holography for imaging of living biospecimens.

Significance: Parallel phase-shifting digital holographic microscope (PPSDHM) is powerful for three-dimensional (3D) measurements of dynamic specimens. However, the PPSDHM reported previously was directly fixed on the optical bench and imposed difficulties case, thus it is required to modify the specification of the microscope or transport the microscope to another location.

Aim: We present a modularized PPSDHM.

Three-dimensional imaging of distribution of refractive index by parallel phase-shifting digital holography using Abel inversion.

Although digital holography is a powerful technique obtaining a phase image of a transparent object, the image reconstructed by the technique merely expresses phase distribution of the light wave after transmitting through the object. Phase variation of inside of the object is difficult to be obtained. Then, we applied Abel inversion method to the high-speed phase image of a dynamic transparent object assumed axially symmetric.