Guided-image-filtering-assisted phase retrieval for amplitude reconstruction in single-frame coherent diffraction imaging

Coherent diffraction imaging enables high-resolution sample observations to surpass lens performance limitations. However, accurate reconstruction of amplitude images from a single diffraction intensity pattern remains challenging, hindering its application to dynamic chemical process observation. We propose a phase retrieval method that enhances amplitude image reconstruction by exploiting the structural similarity between phase and amplitude images using guided image filtering. Numerical simulations and synchrotron radiation experiments demonstrate that it can reconstruct amplitude images with quantitative accuracy comparable to that of ptychography and attain a spatial resolution equivalent to that of phase images. This technique can potentially revolutionize material characterization by improving the temporal resolution of nanoscale chemical-state imaging.