Phase Imaging
4.1 Introduction
Conventional optical microscopes measure only the amplitude component of an optical wave by detecting the reflected or transmitted intensity. However, a great deal of additional information can be obtained by measuring its phase. The extremely high frequency of an optical wave precludes making a direct measurement of its phase with a single light beam. Instead phase images are formed by converting the phase information into amplitude variations, or by heterodyning the signal so that the phase appears on a carrier at a lower frequency.
The development of phase imaging in optical microscopy began in 1935 when Zernike introduced his method of phase-contrast imaging for the standard optical microscope. In ...
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