Quantitative phase imaging has emerged as a powerful label-free technique to understand and monitor biological samples. This technique can measure optical phase changes that can be used to estimate dry mass cells, density, and to monitor cell growth. One approach of this technique consists of placing a phase filter at the Fourier plane of a 4-f imaging system. Several studies have demonstrated the use of nonlinear optical materials as phase filters in commonpath configuration to modulate a phase filter as required in phase-contrast imaging (Zernike configuration). Furthermore, quantitative phase measurements have also been reported using liquid crystal materials as a phase filter. This work exploits the nonlinear response of a recently synthesized azobenzene liquid crystal material to obtain multiple interferograms of arbitrary phase shift. This material is of interest because of the extremely high optical nonlinearity (n2=2.1X10-1 cm2/W), will potentially enable applications where low-intensity illumination is required. A random phaseshifting algorithm for common-path configuration is employed to measure the phase object using less than twenty interferograms. Quantitative phase imaging includes not only biological applications such as in vitro fertilization, estimation of solution concentration, and live stem cell study; it also includes industrial applications that require a robust system that is able to measure in harsh environments such as mechanical vibrations.
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