Super-resolution microscopy imaging method based on transport of intensity diffraction tomography with finite object support

Traditional optical diffraction tomography (ODT) is limited by the numerical aperture of the objective lens, leading to the issue of ”missing cones.” This issue not only results in the underestimation of the refractive index of cells but also causes elongation of the refractive index distribution along the optical axis. Here, we propose a super-resolution microscopy imaging technology based on transport of intensity diffraction tomography (TIDT) with finite object support. It obtains three-dimensional (3D) intensity data stacks through an annular illumination system and directly reconstructs the three-dimensional refractive index distribution of the object using a deconvolution method. This avoids the inherent complexity of traditional ODT techniques, such as interferometric measurement procedures and mechanical beam scanning. Furthermore, by using the accurate identification of the sample’s geometric contour as prior information, super-resolution computation is performed using an optimized Gerchberg-Papoulis (GP) iterative algorithm, yielding high-quality three-dimensional rendered images. Our method effectively mitigates the problem of underestimating the refractive index of cells and significantly improves spatial resolution. By integrating three-dimensional rendering techniques based on VTK, the three-dimensional morphology of cells is clearly observed, providing an innovative solution for the development of three-dimensional microscopy imaging technologies.