Reflected-light digital holographic microscope developed at IPE FME BUT uses off-axis holography principle and low spatial and temporal coherence illumination. Microscope allows reconstruction of the image amplitude and the image phase, which can be handled in real time. The only limiting factors are imaging speed of the detector and computer performance when processing holograms. Reconstruction of image phase and amplitude allows high-resolution profilometric measurements in the vertical axis direction. This thesis deals with the automatization of profilometric measurement method proposed in [2]. Proposed method uses the combination of the image phase and the image amplitude for the measurement of specimens with surface structure the vertical size of which cause the uncertainty of the image phase by a factor of 2pí. Futher the thesis deals with the construction design of the illumination system of the microscope and its realization together with experimental verification of functionality of proposed method automatization.

The diploma thesis deals with theory of imaging in a transmitted-light digital holographic microscope using partially coherent illumination. The influence of spatial and temporal coherence state on optical sectioning property is solved. The coherent transfer function is calculated. From this function imaging characteristics for a two-dimensional scattering object are derived depending on its defocus. Two different designs of microscopes developed in the Laboratory of optical microscopy in IPE FME BUT are considered.

The objectives of the present project were to set up, optimise and characterise a digitalholographic microscopy (DHM) laboratory set-up designed for the study of eyetissue and to implement and optimise digital data processing and noise reductionroutines. This work is part of a collaborative project aiming to provide quantitativemethods for the in vitro and in vivo characterisation of human corneal transparency.The laboratory set-up is based on a commercial laboratory microscope with zoomfunction (a “macroscope”). In continuation of previous work, we completed and optimised,and extended a software for holographic signal processing and numericalpropagation of the wavefront.To characterise the set-up and quantify its performances for standard operationand in its DHM configuration, we compare the magnification and resolution to theoreticalvalues for a given set of parameters. We determined the magnification factorand the rotation angle between the object and camera planes. With a laser wavelengthof 532 nm, a x1 objective and a zoom setting of x2.9 (which corresponds to aplane sample wavefront), we measured a magnification of 1.68. With the same parameters,we measure a holographic resolution of about 11 m. The wavefront phasecould be determined with a precision of a fraction of the wavelength.We subsequently performed analysis of the relative contribution of coherent noiseand implemented and evaluated several noise reduction routines. While the impactof coherent noise remained visible in the amplitude image, interferometric precisionwas obtained for the phase of the wavefront and the set-up was considered qualifiedfor its intended use for corneal characterisation.A first test measurement was performed on primate cornea.Subsequent work will address the further quantitative characterisation of the setupfor the full set of parameters (objectives, zoom positions, wavelengths), test measurementson samples with known transmission and light scattering properties (e.g.solutions of PMMA beads) and the comparison of the results with the predictions ofa theoretical model, and measurements on animal and human tissue.

The goal of this diploma thesis was using of a coherence-controlled holographic microscope in cell’s life research. A brief history of interference microscopy and it’s applications in biology is described. Also other microscopy techniques routinely used for transparent objects imaging are mentioned and the biology of cell’s life cycle briefly explained. Characteristics describing the shape of a cell were proposed and tested with respect to identification of particular phases of its life cycle. The method of dynamic phase differences was modified in order to distinguish the internal motion of cell’s mass from the movement of the whole cell. Selected characteristics were used to evaluate observations carried out with the holographic microscope and the possibilities of their further applications were depicted. In conclusion, obtained findings were summarized and modifications of microscope construction as well as data-processing software were suggested.