OSA Future Microscopy Incubator: Merging Adaptive and Computational Imaging

 
11-13 December 2016
The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland

Hosts:
Tomas Cizmar, University of Dundee, United Kingdom
Susan Cox, King's College London, United Kingdom
Brian Patton, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom
 
Incubator Overview
 
Today, simultaneous real-time control and image analysis feedback are feasible, and information technology promises to play an increasing role in microscopy. We see these elements becoming integral constituents in the design of imaging systems that greatly surpass previous performance limits.
 
Classical imaging approaches fixed the hardware configuration at the design and construction stage and therefore limited the temporal or spatial resolution, field of view and other key parameters. Many modern techniques allow these performance parameters to be varied or traded off against one another by the user according to the demands of the sample. For example, single molecule localization microscopy allows signal-to-noise be traded for spatial resolution at the image processing stage, while ptychography and single pixel imaging techniques depend on the encoding algorithm to set many of the imaging parameters. Alternatively, by having reconfigurable hardware that can be dynamically controlled, such as spatial light modulators or deformable mirrors, more conventional imaging techniques can be extended in their usefulness through implementation of extended depth of field imaging, multiplexing of image acquisition or the ability to image through challenging optical environments.
 
This incubator aims to tie together the fundamentals that underpin the state of the art in active reconfiguration, real-time feedback and post-acquisition analysis, and thereby identify both the key challenges for the future and the existing areas in which we should be encouraging uptake of technologies by a wider scientific and engineering community.
 
Research Planning Considerations
We hope that participants will address questions such as:

• What needs to be developed at the acquisition and processing stage?
• Are there common design principles that should be explored for maximum interoperability of different techniques/flexibility for the end-users?
• What techniques can be exploited by the optics development communities for their own research?
• What we should be pushing to end users as “black box” technologies for their research?
  • What end-user communities should we be aiming at?
  • How do we help industry in this task?
  • Are there any standards (hardware, data management or processing) that need to either be developed or brought into wider use?

 
Technical Scope and Featured Topics

• Design patterns for extensible hardware
• What are the key technologies that should be rolled out to end users immediately, and how do we best get collaboration with them?
• How do we best compromise between generality and efficiency?
• What are algorithm weaknesses that need to be addressed?
• What are the expected limitations of the techniques as currently implemented?
• Are these limited by physics, engineering or algorithmical complexity?
• How do we quantify image quality and resolution when these are defined by the complete imaging process?

Meeting Patrons
OSA is pleased to be joined by SU2P on this exciting program. SU2P is a collaborative programme between the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot Watt, St Andrews, Strathclyde in Scotland and Stanford University in the USA. In addition to support from SU2P, the following institutions have provided funds for this Incubator.