Richardson-Lucy deconvolution as a general tool for combining images with complementary strengths

Chemphyschem. 2014 Mar 17;15(4):794-800. doi: 10.1002/cphc.201300831. Epub 2014 Jan 16.

Abstract

We use Richardson-Lucy (RL) deconvolution to combine multiple images of a simulated object into a single image in the context of modern fluorescence microscopy techniques. RL deconvolution can merge images with very different point-spread functions, such as in multiview light-sheet microscopes,1, 2 while preserving the best resolution information present in each image. We show that RL deconvolution is also easily applied to merge high-resolution, high-noise images with low-resolution, low-noise images, relevant when complementing conventional microscopy with localization microscopy. We also use RL deconvolution to merge images produced by different simulated illumination patterns, relevant to structured illumination microscopy (SIM)3, 4 and image scanning microscopy (ISM). The quality of our ISM reconstructions is at least as good as reconstructions using standard inversion algorithms for ISM data, but our method follows a simpler recipe that requires no mathematical insight. Finally, we apply RL deconvolution to merge a series of ten images with varying signal and resolution levels. This combination is relevant to gated stimulated-emission depletion (STED) microscopy, and shows that merges of high-quality images are possible even in cases for which a non-iterative inversion algorithm is unknown.

Keywords: Richardson-Lucy; Toeplitz matrix; deconvolution; fluorescence microscopy; superresolution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted*
  • Microscopy / methods*