ELECTRO-OPTICS  LABORATORY

Spatial filtering-based quantitative phase imaging of transparent objects is demonstrated. By combining a standard phase-contrast microscopy technique with an optical system-mimicking Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval algorithm, we successfully transformed a qualitative phase map into an accurate quantitative phase distribution of the examined object. Feeding a phase-induced intensity image into the modified phase retrieval algorithm is found to facilitate the convergence and ambiguities issues associated with the standard algorithms. Accurate phase recovery for two different kinds of objects supports the use of the suggested method as a single-shot quantitative phase-contrast microscope.