Total variation regularized deconvolution for extended depth of field microscopy.

The depth of field of an optical system can be extended through a combination of point spread function (PSF) engineering and image processing. A phase mask inserted in the back aperture of the system creates a PSF that is focus-invariant over an extended depth. A digital deconvolution is then used to restore transverse resolution. The application and analysis of this technique to fluorescence microscopy is limited in the literature. In this paper we formalize a microscopy specific imaging model, and experimentally demonstrate a total variation regularized deconvolution approach. Results are compared to the Wiener filter.