Optimized Phase Retrieval Algorithm with Multiple Illuminations

Introduction

Both amplitude and phase of an optical wavefront are necessary in many applications. However, the conventional detector can only measure the intensity of the wavefront. The phase should be measured by interferometry [1] or phase retrieval techniques [2, 3]. Compared to the interferometry, the phase retrieval methods just need diffracted intensity images without a reference beam, which makes the experimental setup simple. There are mainly two kinds of phase retrieval techniques. One is quantization phase retrieval which is based on the transport of intensity equation [2]. The other one is based on the iterative algorithm [3-5].