A comparative study of reconstruction algorithms in digital holography

Comparative studies of the different reconstruction algorithms in digital holography are presented. It shows that each method has different properties with respect to available reconstruction distances, resolution of reconstructed images and computational load. It is very important to choose an appropriate method for the reliable reconstruction in a given situation. Although the method based on Fresnel diffraction formula can still give an accurate reconstruction for smooth and slowly varying objects where the Fresnel approximation is not strictly satisfied, it cannot correctly reconstructed near wave-fields for more diffractive objects, where the higher-order terms in the expansion of the Fresnel approximation are more significant. Angular spectrum method can be a way out of those problems in Fresnel or convolution method, because of its validity for the closer region that the Fresnel region and is very useful for the measurement of microscopic samples requiring a high-numerical aperture imaging system as a necessity. We present one example of quantitative phase-contrast microscopy of small particles and its 3D prospective.