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arXiv:1005.3665 · Physical Review A

Experimental quantum imaging exploiting multimode spatial correlation of twin beams

G. Brida, Marco Genovese, Alice Meda, Ivano Ruo Berchera

Published Mar 10, 2011• 46 citations
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Abstract

Properties of quantum states have disclosed new and revolutionary technologies, ranging from quantum information to quantum imaging. This last field is intended to overcome the limits of classical imaging by exploiting specific properties of quantum states of light. One of the most interesting proposed schemes exploits spatial quantum correlations between twin beams for realizing sub-shot-noise imaging of weakly absorbing objects, leading ideally to a noise-free imaging. Here we discuss in detail the experimental realization of this scheme, showing its capability to reach a larger signal-to-noise ratio with respect to classical imaging methods and therefore its potential for future practical applications.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.83.033811

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Quantum Communications and Quantum Imaging•Aug 30, 2017•0 citations
Properties of quantum states have disclosed new and revolutionary technologies, ranging from quantum information to quantum imaging. This last field is intended to overcome the limits of classical imaging by exploiting specific properties of quantum states of light. One of the most interesting proposed schemes exploits spatial quantum correlations between twin beams for realizing sub-shot-noise imaging of weakly absorbing objects, leading ideally to a noise-free imaging. Here we discuss in detail the experimental realization of this scheme, showing its capability to reach a larger signal-to-noise ratio with respect to classical imaging methods and therefore its potential for future practical applications.
Sub-Shot Noise quantum imaging is a novel quantum method allowing in principle to recover the image of a weak absorbing object, even if illuminated by a low photon flux, with a signal to noise ratio larger than classical imaging techniques. Here we present the first realization of a genuine quantum imaging schemes exploiting correlation of twin beams produced by Parametric Down conversion. We compare its performances with respect to the corresponding classical scheme, showing a clear improvement of the sensitivity in the reconstruction of the absorbtion profile of a weak object.
Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM), Strada delle Cacce 91, 10135 Torino, Italy. E-mail:i.ruoberchera@inrim.it Quantum correlations of twin beams represent a resource of great importance for the developments of quantum technologies allowing unprecedented results in quantum information, metrology and quantum imaging. Focusing on the measurement of the photon numbers, spatial multimode correlations beyond the shot noise limit have been experimentally demonstrated by using parametric down conversion (PDC) and CCD camera (both at the single photon level and at higher photon flux) [1], and also with other interesting techniques [2]. One of their natural application is the quantum imaging of weak absorbing objects, showed in Fig.1, with sensitivity beyond the shot-noise-level [3]. The idea consists in measuring the intensity pattern on one branch of PDC, where the object has been inserted, and then subtracting the correlated noise pattern measured in the other branch that does not interact with the object. In our presentation we overview the sub-shot noise imaging protocol mentioned above and other applications where the spatial quantum correlation can give some advantages over the classical ones. As an example, we studied the signalto-noise ratio (SNR) of ghost imaging protocols with quantum and classical light [4]. We realized a ghost imaging experiment in the mesoscopic regime (one thousand of photon per pixel per shot), obtaining substantial quantum enhanced performances (see Fig.1). We also demonstrated that spatial quantum correlations provide the possibility for the absolute calibration of analog and/or photon number resolving detectors, providing the first absolute calibration (without any comparison with reference standards, neither optical source nor detector) of a scientific CCD camera [5]. In this first realization we already reached interesting uncertainty level. All these findings indicate that the control and detection of quantum spatial correlation is a rather mature field and other application to different sensing scenarios can be envisaged.
Quantum properties of the optical field represent a resource of the utmost relevance for the development of quantum technologies, allowing unprecedented results in disciplines ranging from quantum information and metrology to quantum imaging. Spatial quantum correlations generated by of parametric down conversion (PDC) represents a tool for quantum imaging because they are intrinsically multimode, a requirement for obtaining large degree of correlation over small portions of the beams, allowing to register the spatial structure of an object. In particular a very interesting example is provided by the detection of weak objects, a result that could have important practical applications. The principle of this technique is to take advantage of the correlation in the noise of two conjugated branches of PDC emission: in fact, subtracting the noise measured on one branch from the image of a weak object obtained in the other branch, the image of the object, eventually previously hidden in the noise, could be restored. Here, after a general summary of quantum imaging techniques, firstly we will show how we have reached a sub shot noise regime and then improved this result up to reach a regime where it was possible to achieve the first experimental realisation of sub shot noise imaging of a weak absorbing object.
The first part of our work is devoted to identify regimes suitable for weak image detection. Moreover, we investigate a method of data analysis that identifies the centre of symmetry of the signal-idler images with a sub-pixel precision. In the second part of our work we study an imaging scheme, where a weakly absorbing object is posed in the far-field of the signal beam and the image is retrieved by subtracting pixel by pixel the signal idler intensities. We show that imaging with spatially correlated twin beams provides a substantial enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio with respect to classical imaging in a domain of parameters accessible to experimental implementations.
Quantum technologies promise to overcome by far the limits of the classical schemes. However, the present challenge is to overpass the limits of proof of principle demonstrations to approach real applications. In this paper, we present an experiment which aims to bridge this gap in the field of quantum enhanced imaging. In particular, we realize a sub-shot noise wide field microscope based on spatially multi-mode non-classical photon number correlations in twin beams. The microscope produces real time images of 8000 pixels at full resolution, with noise reduced to the 80% of the shot noise level (for each pixel), hence able to image faint samples at low illumination level. The noise can be further reduced (less than 30% of the shot noise level) turning down the resolution. It demonstrates the best sensitivity per incident photon ever achieved in absorption microscopy.