No Arabic abstract
In a setup illuminated by chaotic light, we consider different schemes that enable to perform imaging by measuring second-order intensity correlations. The most relevant feature of the proposed protocols is the ability to perform plenoptic imaging, namely to reconstruct the geometrical path of light propagating in the system, by imaging both the object and the focusing element. This property allows to encode, in a single data acquisition, both multi-perspective images of the scene and light distribution in different planes between the scene and the focusing element. We unveil the plenoptic property of three different setups, explore their refocusing potentialities and discuss their practical applications.
We propose a novel method to perform plenoptic imaging at the diffraction limit by measuring second-order correlations of light between two reference planes, arbitrarily chosen, within the tridimensional scene of interest. We show that for both chaotic light and entangled-photon illumination, the protocol enables to change the focused planes, in post-processing, and to achieve an unprecedented combination of image resolution and depth of field. In particular, the depth of field results larger by a factor 3 with respect to previous correlation plenoptic imaging protocols, and by an order of magnitude with respect to standard imaging, while the resolution is kept at the diffraction limit. The results lead the way towards the development of compact designs for correlation plenoptic imaging devices based on chaotic light, as well as high-SNR plenoptic imaging devices based on entangled photon illumination, thus contributing to make correlation plenoptic imaging effectively competitive with commercial plenoptic devices.
We report an experimental demonstration of a nonclassical imaging mechanism with super-resolving power beyond the Rayleigh limit. When the classical image is completely blurred out due to the use of a small imaging lens, by taking advantage of the intensity fluctuation correlation of thermal light, the demonstrated camera recovered the image of the resolution testing gauge. This method could be adapted to long distance imaging, such as satellite imaging, which requires large diameter camera lenses to achieve high image resolution.
We wish to report an experimental observation of anti-correlation from first-order incoherent classical chaotic light. We explain why the classical statistical theory does not apply and provide a quantum interpretation. In quantum theory, either correlation or anti-correlation is a two-photon interference phenomenon, which involves the superposition of two-photon amplitudes, a nonclassical entity corresponding to different yet indistinguishable alternative ways of producing a joint-photodetection event.
Research on spatially-structured light has seen an explosion in activity over the past decades, powered by technological advances for generating such light, and driven by questions of fundamental science as well as engineering applications. In this review we highlight work on the interaction of vector light fields with atoms, and matter in general. This vibrant research area explores the full potential of light, with clear benefits for classical as well as quantum applications.
In thermal light ghost imaging, the correlation orders were usually positive integers in previous studies. In this paper, we examine the fractional-order moments, whose correlation order are fractional numbers, between the bucket and reference signals in the ghost imaging system. The crucial step in theory is to determine the precise relation between the bucket signals and reference signals. We deduce the joint probability density function between the bucket and reference signals by regarding the reference signals as an array of independent stochastic variables. In calculating the fractional-order moments, the correlation order for the reference signals must be positive to avoid infinity. While the correlation order for the bucket signals can be positive or negative numbers. Negative (positive) ghost images are obtained with negative (positive) orders of the bucket signals. The visibility degree and signal-to-noise ratio of ghost images from the fractional-order moments are analysed. The experimental results and numerical simulations meet our analysis based on probability theory.