Computational Optical Microscopy Using Algorithm

Like a mobile phone camera, optical microscopy typically relies on optical lenses that convert a plane wave to a spherical wave or vice versa. In such conventional imaging scheme, light from an object point propagates through a set of lenses and creates a tight focus on a camera, resulting in 1 to 1 relation between the object point and the camera pixel. Recently, this conventional imaging paradigm has been challenged by a new paradigm where computational algorithms replace the role of lenses. Here, I will introduce the concept of computational optics and some novel microscopy techniques based on algorithms.