Pixel super-resolution using spatially-entangled photon pairs


Abstract in English

Pixelation occurs in many imaging systems and limits the spatial resolution of the acquired images. This effect is notably present in quantum imaging experiments with photon pairs, in which the number of pixels used to detect coincidences is often limited by the sensor technology or the acquisition speed. Here, we introduce a pixel super-resolution technique based on measuring the full spatially-resolved joint probability distribution (JPD) of spatially-entangled photon pairs. Without shifting optical elements or using prior information, our technique doubles the pixel resolution of the imaging system and enables retrieval of spatial information lost due to undersampling. We demonstrate its use in various quantum imaging protocols, including quantum illumination, entanglement-enabled quantum holography, and in a full-field version of N00N-state quantum holography. Our JPD super-resolution technique will benefit any full-field imaging system limited by the sensor spatial resolution, including all already established and future photon-pairs-based quantum imaging schemes, bringing these techniques closer to real-world applications.

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