Point spread function (PSF) engineering is an important technique to
encode the properties (e.g., 3D positions, color, and orientation) of
a single molecule in the shape of the PSF, often with the help of a
programmable phase modulator. A deformable mirror (DM) is currently
the most widely used phase modulator for fluorescence detection as it
shows negligible photon loss. However, it relies on careful
calibration for precise wavefront control. Therefore, design of an
optimal PSF not only relies on the theoretical calculation of the
maximum information content, but also the physical behavior of the
phase modulator, which is often ignored during the optimization
process. Here, we develop a framework for PSF engineering which could
generate a device specific optimal PSF for 3D super-resolution imaging
using a DM. We use our method to generate two types of PSFs with
depths of field comparable to the widely used astigmatism and tetrapod
PSFs, respectively. We demonstrate the superior performance of the DM
specific optimal PSF over the conventional astigmatism and tetrapod
PSF both theoretically and experimentally.
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