Background-free quantitative phase imaging with adaptive-optics surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy.

Siqing Dai, Mengmeng Zhang, Yushan Shen, Haoyu Xu, Li Ren, Hua Lu, Jiwei Zhang, Gerd Ulrich Nienhaus, Jianlin Zhao

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Light, science & applications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed

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1 · What the graph read from it

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Siqing DaiKey Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation and Information Acquisition, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.

Mengmeng ZhangKey Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation and Information Acquisition, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.

Yushan ShenKey Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.

Haoyu XuKey Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation and Information Acquisition, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.

Li RenKey Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Biotechnology, School of Life Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.

Hua LuKey Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation and Information Acquisition, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2559-3597

Jiwei ZhangKey Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation and Information Acquisition, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China. jwzhang@nwpu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0499-3217

Gerd Ulrich NienhausInstitute of Applied Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany. uli@uiuc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5027-3192

Jianlin ZhaoKey Laboratory of Light Field Manipulation and Information Acquisition, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optical Information Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China. jlzhao@nwpu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4619-1215

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 61927810

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) in the near field is a powerful tool for visualizing nanoscale structures in low-dimensional materials, dielectric mixtures and biological cells. Although near-field QPI offers extremely high sensitivity, phase aberrations of the optical system can pose serious limitations. Overcoming these problems, we introduce an adaptive optics approach that takes advantage of the complex amplitude measured by digital holographic microscopy (DHM). By using a spatial light modulator as a beam shaping device, our method allows for in-situ, accurate, fast and flexible aberration correction by quantifying wavefront distortions in terms of Zernike modes, and pre-compensating them with a spatial light modulator. For validation, we demonstrate near-field phase imaging with adaptive-optics surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy (AO-SPRHM) on microstructured test samples and live cells. With a total correction time below 1 s, background-free time-lapse imaging over many hours becomes feasible. The approach can be easily transferred to other phase imaging techniques, including transmission, reflection and total internal reflection DHM as well as related modalities.

Identifiers

PMID42448668

DOI10.1038/s41377-026-02362-x

PMCPMC13369757

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.