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arXiv:2104.09071 · Scientific Reports

Scattering-lens based quantum imaging beyond shot noise

Dong Li, Yao Yao

Published Apr 8, 2021• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The scheme of optical imaging using scattering lens can provide a resolution beyond the classical optical diffraction limit with a coherent-state input. Nevertheless, due to the shot noise of the coherent state, the corresponding signal-to-noise ratio and resolution are both still shot-noise-limited. In order to circumvent this problem, we theoretically propose an alternative scheme where the squeezed state (with a sub-shot noise) is considered as input and the quantum noise is then suppressed below the shot-noise level. Consequently, when comparing with the previous imaging scheme (using combination of coherent state and scattering lens), our proposal is able to achieve an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio for a given scattering lens. Meanwhile, it is demonstrated that the resolution is also improved. We believe that this method may afford a new way of using squeezed states and enable a higher performance than that of using coherent state and scattering lens.

DOI
10.1038/s41598-021-85846-7

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The scheme of optical imaging using scattering lens can provide a resolution beyond the classical optical diffraction limit with a coherent-state input. Nevertheless, due to the shot noise of the coherent state, the corresponding signal-to-noise ratio and resolution are both still shot-noise-limited. In order to circumvent this problem, we theoretically propose an alternative scheme where the squeezed state (with a sub-shot noise) is considered as input and the quantum noise is then suppressed below the shot-noise level. Consequently, when comparing with the previous imaging scheme (using combination of coherent state and scattering lens), our proposal is able to achieve an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio for a given scattering lens. Meanwhile, it is demonstrated that the resolution is also improved. We believe that this method may afford a new way of using squeezed states and enable a higher performance than that of using coherent state and scattering lens.
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Abstract In this study, we explore the theoretical application of entangled multi-mode squeezed light for label-free optical super-resolution imaging. By generating massively entangled multi-mode squeezed light through an array of balanced beam splitters, using a single-mode squeezed light input, we create a multi-mode quantum light state with exceptional entanglement and noise suppression below the shot noise level. This significantly reduces imaging measurement errors compared to classical coherent state light imaging when the same number of photons are used on the imaging sample. We demonstrate how to optimize the imaging system’s parameters to achieve the Heisenberg imaging error limit, taking into account the number of entangled modes and photons used. We also examine the effects of optical losses in the imaging system, necessitating adjustments to the optimized parameters based on the degree of optical loss. In practical applications, this new quantum imaging approach reduces the number of photons needed to achieve the same image quality by two orders of magnitude compared to classical imaging methods that use non-entangled, non-squeezed coherent state light.
Quantum fluctuations in image irradiance for spatially partially coherent optical imaging are studied as a function of the spatial coherence of the source. The advantage of using incoherent or partially coherent illumination for the quantum noise performance is discussed. The results are compared for illumination by coherent, spatially single-mode squeezed, and spatially multimode squeezed light. It is shown that a signal-to-noise ratio can be improved beyond the shot-noise limit employing the two latter sources.
Benefitting from the sub-Poissonian statistics, squeezed light has been applied to push the shot-noise-limited sensitivity of stimulated Raman scattering spectroscopy and microscopy to a sub-shot-noise level [5]. However, the balanced detection regime requires a high squeezing level to counteract the 3-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) drawback. In this presentation, we introduce dual-polarization quantum-enhanced stimulated Raman scattering (QESRS), which is also suitable for high-power operation [6]. This approach utilizes a symmetric beamsplitter but detects squeezed light on two independent photodetectors, thus avoiding the 3-dB decrease in SNR.
Stimulated Raman spectroscopy has become a powerful tool to study the spatiodynamics of molecular bonds with high sensitivity, resolution, and speed. However, the sensitivity and speed of state-of-the-art stimulated Raman scattering spectroscopy are currently limited by the shot-noise of the light beam probing the Raman process. Here, we demonstrate in a proof-of-principle experiment an enhancement of the sensitivity of continuous-wave stimulated Raman spectroscopy by reducing the quantum noise of the probing light below the shot-noise limit by means of amplitude squeezed states of light. Probing polymer samples with Raman shifts around 2950 c m − 1 with squeezed states, we demonstrate a quantum enhancement of the stimulated Raman signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 3.60 dB relative to the shot-noise limited SNR. Our proof-of-concept demonstration of quantum-enhanced continuous-wave Raman spectroscopy paves the way for more elaborate demonstrations using state-of-the-art stimulated Raman scattering microscopes, and thus constitutes the very first step towards a new generation of Raman microscopes, where weak Raman transitions can be imaged without the use of markers or an increase in the total optical power.