Systems and methods for interferometric multifocus microscopy

A system to generate image representations includes a first objective that receives a first light beam emitted from a sample and a second objective that receives a second light beam emitted from the sample, where the first light beam and the second light beam have conjugate phase. The system also includes a first diffractive element to receive the first light beam and separate it into a first plurality of diffractive light beams that are spatially distinct, and a second diffractive element to receive the second light beam and separate it into a second plurality of diffractive light beams that are spatially distinct. The system further includes a detector that receives the first and second plurality of diffractive light beams. The first plurality of diffractive light beams and the second plurality of diffractive light beams are simultaneously directed and focused onto different portions of an image plane of the detector.