SOFFLFM: Super-resolution optical fluctuation Fourier light-field microscopy

Abstract

Fourier light-field microscopy (FLFM) uses a microlens array (MLA) to segment the Fourier plane of the microscopic objective lens to generate multiple two-dimensional perspective views, thereby reconstructing the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the sample using 3D deconvolution calculation without scanning. However, the resolution of FLFM is still limited by diffraction, and furthermore, it is dependent on the aperture division. In order to improve its resolution, a super-resolution optical fluctuation Fourier light-field microscopy (SOFFLFM) was proposed here, in which the super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) with the ability of super-resolution was introduced into FLFM. SOFFLFM uses higher-order cumulants statistical analysis on an image sequence collected by FLFM, and then carries out 3D deconvolution calculation to reconstruct the 3D structure of the sample. The theoretical basis of SOFFLFM on improving resolution was explained and then verified with the simulations. Simulation results demonstrated that SOFFLFM improved the lateral and axial resolution by more thanpffiffiffi 2 and 2 times in the second- and fourth-order accumulations, compared with that of FLFM.