We propose a new method for phase retrieval that uses partially coherent illumination created by any arbitrary source shape in Köhler geometry. Using a stack of defocused intensity images, we recover not only the phase and amplitude of the sample, but also an estimate of the unknown source shape, which describes the spatial coherence of the illumination. Our algorithm uses a Kalman filtering ap...

Diffractive lenses differ from conventional optical elements in that they can produce more than one image because of the presence of more than one diffraction order. These spurious, defocused images serve to lower the contrast of the desired image. We show that a quantity that we define as the integrated efficiency serves as a useful figure of merit to describe diffractive lenses. The integrate...

We cast the problem of inferring the 3D shape of a scene from a collection of defocused images in the framework of anisotropic diffusion. We propose a novel algorithm that can estimate the shape of a scene by inferring the diffusion coefficient of a heat equation. The method is optimal, as we pose it as the minimization of a certain cost functional based on the input images, and fast. Furthermo...

The 3D reconstruction of a scene with 2D images requires several scene acquisitions or the use of specific lighting (structured light). The solution choice depends on the scene to be reconstructed. Unfortunately in the case of face reconstruction, health standards forbid the use of structured light; the elaboration of a multi-sensor system, such as stereovision is then required. In this paper, ...

We propose an annular-aperture-based defocusing technique for three-dimensional (3D) particle metrology from a single camera view. This simple configuration has high optical efficiency and the ability to deal with overlapped defocused images. Initial results show that an uncertainty in depth of 23 microm can be achieved over a range of 10 mm for macroscopic systems. This method can also be appl...

We present a real-time method for rendering a depth-of-field effect based on the per-pixel layered splatting where source pixels are scattered on one of the three layers of a destination pixel. In addition, the missing information behind foreground objects is filled with an additional image of the areas occluded by nearer objects. The method creates high-quality depth-of-field results even in t...

Dissipative media admit the existence of two types of stationary self-organized beams: continuously self-focused and continuously self- defocused. Each beam is stable inside of a certain region of its existence. Beyond these two regions, beams loose their stability, and new dynamical behaviors appear. We present several types of instabilities related to each beam configuration and give examples...