3D Tomographic Phase Retrieval and Unwrapping

Abstract: This paper develops uniqueness theory for 3D phase retrieval with finite, discrete measurement data for strong phase objects and weak phase objects, including: (i) {\em Unique determination of (phase) projections from diffraction patterns} -- General measurement schemes with coded and uncoded apertures are proposed and shown to ensure unique reduction of diffraction patterns to the phase projection for a strong phase object (respectively, the projection for a weak phase object) in each direction separately without the knowledge of relative orientations and locations. (ii) {\em Uniqueness for 3D phase unwrapping} -- General conditions for unique determination of a 3D strong phase object from its phase projection data are established, including, but not limited to, random tilt schemes densely sampled from a spherical triangle of vertexes in three orthogonal directions and other deterministic tilt schemes. (iii) {\em Uniqueness for projection tomography} -- Unique determination of an object of $n^3$ voxels from generic $n$ projections or $n+1$ coded diffraction patterns is proved. This approach of reducing 3D phase retrieval to the problem of (phase) projection tomography has the practical implication of enabling classification and alignment, when relative orientations are unknown, to be carried out in terms of (phase) projections, instead of diffraction patterns. The applications with the measurement schemes such as single-axis tilt, conical tilt, dual-axis tilt, random conical tilt and general random tilt are discussed.