Parallelized aperture synthesis using multi-aperture Fourier ptychographic microscopy

Abstract: We report a novel microscopy platform, termed Multi-Aperture Fourier ptychographic microscopy (MA-FPM), capable of realizing gigapixel complex field images with large data acquisition bandwidths - in gigapixels per second. MA-FPM is a synthetic aperture technique- an array of objectives together with tilt-shift illumination are used to synthesize high-resolution, wide field-of-view images. Here, the phase is recovered using Fourier ptychography (FP) algorithms, unlike conventional optical synthetic aperture techniques where holographic measurements are used. The parallel data-acquisition capability due to multiple objectives provides unprecedented bandwidth enabling imaging of high-speed in vitro processes over extended depth-of-field. Here, we present a proof-of-concept experiment demonstrating high-quality imaging performance despite using nine-fold fewer illumination angles compared to an equivalent FP setup. Calibration procedures and reconstruction algorithm were developed to address the challenges of multiple imaging systems. Our technique provides a new imaging tool to study cell cultures, offering new insights into these processes.