Diffuse Optical Ptychography

Abstract: Various imaging techniques have significantly enhanced our ability to visualize objects embedded within complex media such as biological tissues, fog, atmosphere, or various turbid media. Optical imaging, in particular, offers multiple advantages, including non-invasive capabilities, absence of ionizing radiation, and high contrast for many biological tissues. However, optical imaging through substantially thick scattering media remains challenging due to extensive photon diffusion, significantly restricting reconstruction quality and achievable resolution. To address these limitations, we introduce Diffuse Optical Ptychography (DOP), a novel imaging method inspired by ptychography technique, which exploits additional spatial information gained from multiple overlapping illumination patterns. The primary technical innovation of DOP lies in its effective use of overlapping yet minimally correlated illuminations, significantly enhancing reconstruction accuracy and image quality. Compared to existing optical imaging methods through thick diffusive media, DOP achieves superior resolution (down to 1 mm) and reliably reconstructs both binary and grayscale objects embedded within media thicker than 100 transport mean free paths. Importantly, DOP demonstrates robust reconstruction performance both with accurately calibrated diffusion properties and even without prior calibration. Furthermore, the experimental setup for DOP remains straightforward, utilizing only a conventional camera and scanning illumination spots. Our demonstrations underscore the broad potential impact of DOP in applications ranging from medical diagnostics to non-destructive testing, thus opening promising avenues for high-resolution imaging in highly scattering environments.