Subsurface imaging by dual-medium quantitative phase measurement

Quantitative phase imaging by itself allows for direct surface imaging of the transparent homogeneous sample, but it is very difficult or impossible for the inhomogeneous sample by itself due to the surface morphology and subsurface information are coupled. We hereby propose a simple method which obtains quantitative phase data and the physical thickness of sample by dual-medium quantitative phase measurement (DMQ) to extract subsurface sample information without the need of any exogenous dyes and any scan process. By using simulation technology, the feasibility of this method is demonstrated with subsurface imaging of a two-sphere model and a simulated monocyte.