Methods and a computer program product for applying deconvolution to spatial light interference microscopy for resolution enhancement with respect to the diffraction limit in two and three dimensions. By exploiting the sparsity properties of the phase images, which is prominent in many biological imaging applications, and modeling of the image formation via complex fields, the very fine structures can be recovered which were blurred by the optics. The resolution improvement leads to higher accuracy in monitoring dynamic activity over time. Experiments with primary brain cells, i.e. neurons and glial cells, reveal new subdiffraction structures and motions. This new information can be used for studying vesicle transport in neurons, which may shed light on dynamic cell functioning. Finally, the method may flexibly incorporate a wide range of image models for different applications and can be utilized for all imaging modalities acquiring complex field images.
Sparse deconvolution spatial light microscopy in two and three dimensions