Lensless light-field imaging through diffuser encoding

This paper introduces a novel lensless light-field imaging modality using a diffuser as an encoder. The diffuser angularly couples incident light rays into a detected image, eliminating the need for lenses. A diffuser-encoding light-field transmission model is established, mapping four-dimensional light fields to two-dimensional images via a transmission matrix. A calibration strategy determines this matrix, enabling computational decoupling of light rays with adjustable spatio-angular resolutions, overcoming sensor resolution limitations. The approach demonstrates the potential of scattering media for lensless four-dimensional light-field recording and processing.

Zewei Cai, Jiawei Chen, Giancarlo Pedrini, Wolfgang Osten, Xiaoli Liu, Xiang Peng