Defocused transfer function for a partially coherent microscope and application to phase retrieval

J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis. 2004 May;21(5):828-31. doi: 10.1364/josaa.21.000828.

Abstract

The defocused weak-object transfer function of a partially coherent bright-field microscope is calculated. For weak defocus, this can be expressed analytically. Use of this transfer function for phase restoration (quantitative phase retrieval) from images of weak mixed phase-amplitude objects is discussed.