Integration of the plug and play image reconstruction method with a novel tunable structured illumination microscope

The Plug-and-Play (PnP) reconstruction methods enhance imaging by integrating advanced pre-trained denoisers within optimization schemes, improving reconstruction speed and quality. We investigate applying PnP-ADMM, a method using the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers, to a novel tunable structured illumination microscopy (TSIM) system. The TSIM system, with a quasi-monochromatic source and a Wollaston prism, allows independent control over lateral and axial achieved resolutions using only 9 raw images, a 40% data reduction compared to traditional 3D-SIM. Our approach, based on incorporating a DnCNN denoiser and a Total Variation penalty, employs a 2D-processing approach and information from multiple 2D-defocused PSFs to simplify the computational burden by focusing on individual 2D-slice processing instead of 3D processing of the entire volume, while maintaining fidelity to the 3D structure of the sample. Results from the proposed 2D processing method compare well with results from traditional 3D processing. The proposed method effectively suppresses noise and balances lateral resolution enhancement with reduced data processing time, making it particularly suitable for noisy TSIM data reconstruction. Results from 17-dB noise simulations demonstrate achieved lateral resolution close to the theoretical TSIM limit.