Coincidence, or ghost, imaging is a technique that uses two correlated optical fields to form an image of an object. In this work we identify aspects of coincidence imaging which can be performed with classically correlated light sources and aspects which require quantum entanglement. We find that entangled photons allow high-contrast, high-resolution imaging to be performed at any distance from the light source. We demonstrate this fact by forming ghost images in the near and far fields of an entangled photon source, noting that the product of the resolutions of these images is a factor of 3 better than that which is allowed by classical diffraction theory.
Coincidence, or ghost, imaging is a technique that uses two correlated optical fields to form an image of an object. In this work we identify aspects of coincidence imaging which can be performed with classically correlated light sources and aspects which require quantum entanglement. We find that entangled photons allow high-contrast, high-resolution imaging to be performed at any distance from the light source. We demonstrate this fact by forming ghost images in the near and far fields of an entangled photon source, noting that the product of the resolutions of these images is a factor of 3 better than that which is allowed by classical diffraction theory.
Correlated-photon imaging, popularly known as ghost imaging, is a technique whereby an image is formed from light that has never interacted with the object. In ghost imaging experiments two correlated light fields are produced. One of these fields illuminates the object, and the other field is measured by a spatially resolving detector. In the quantum regime, these correlated light fields are produced by entangled photons created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. To date, all correlated-photon ghost-imaging experiments have scanned a single-pixel detector through the field of view to obtain the spatial information. However, scanning leads to a poor sampling efficiency, which scales inversely with the number of pixels, N, in the image. In this work we overcome this limitation by using a time-gated camera to record the single-photon events across the full scene. We obtain high-contrast images, 90%, in either the image plane or the far-field of the photon pair source, taking advantage of the EPR-like correlations in position and momentum of the photon pairs. Our images contain a large number of modes, >500, creating opportunities in low-light-level imaging and in quantum information processing.
The process of image recording is arguably one of the most prevalent technology in modern society and continues to inspire vast swathes of research due to its widespread applications spanning military, medical and consumer spheres. The danger present in a field so broad is that separate niches of research can become isolated with critical advancements struggling to traverse the gulfs between. Unifying the field is the omnipresent drive to acquire an ever increasing quality of images at the lowest possible cost, a goal which warrants continual fundamental research. Quantum entanglement exhibits many intriguing characteristics which make it a suitable tool for such fundamental investigations. The process of spontaneous parametric down- conversion has offered a yet unbeaten strength of photon correlations with the quantum nature of their production providing a reliable and controllable source of single-photons. Arising from these attributes is the technique known as ghost imaging. Though now known to be classically possible, the strength of entanglement generated correlations is yet to be surpassed. This thesis implemented this technique in tandem with the cutting edge detector technology in order to probe the fundamentals of image formation. This form of imaging allowed us to subject an object to a known number of photons whilst acquiring structural information from spatially separate, correlated photons which never interact with the object. The strength of the produced correlations allow us to acquire low background, high resolution images with far less light than traditional techniques and affords many novel benefits. The possibility of incorporating this technique with pre-existent regimes allowed me to draw from advancements made across the landscape of imaging research. Although referred to as “quantum ghost imaging” throughout this work, it should be noted that the intrinsic quantum nature of the correlations was not directly relied upon but provided an ideal source of strongly correlated photons. In order to determine the limits of a traditional imaging system this thesis first sought to answer the question: “can an image of an object be reconstructed from fewer photons than ii pixels in the image?” In chapter 3 I approached this from the perspective of compression, which minimises redundant information within a signal. This lead to the development of an imaging regime capable of imaging with far fewer photons than pixels in the image. By employing assumptions about the sparsity of natural images I was able to reconstruct an image of a biological sample containing an average of less than one photon per image pixel. Having reduced the number of photons necessary to form an image I then considered alternative methods for reducing the optical energy impinging on a sample. I sought to answer the question: “can non-degenerate ghost imaging reduce the optical energy impinged upon an object during imaging”. The photons produced in SPDC need not be of similar wavelengths, however may be chosen far from degeneracy, i.e. non-degenerate. In Chapter 4 I presented a ghost imaging system which illuminated the object with infrared light whilst recording the structural information via entangled visible photons. This allowed for objects opaque to visible light to be imaged in high quality without the need for a spatially resolving infrared detector, the state of the art of which lags behind their silicon based visible counterparts. I presented the systems capabilities by imaging objects which were etched into a gold substrate layered on to silicon, both of which are opaque to visible light. Not only did a reduction in energy deposition arise from the lower energy probe wavelength but applying the reconstruction techniques from the previous chapter brought that down to as low as ≈16 nJcm−2s−1. Seeking to expand the repertoire of applications, the low-light capabilities of my ghost imaging were applied to the technique of phase-contrast microscopy in chapter 5. Typically applied to translucent objects, phase-contrast imaging transfers phase information, i.e. the refractive index changed within the object, into an intensity distribution through the use of a phase-filter. In many of these applications the objects tend to be biological in nature, where high optical exposure can result in bleaching or damage. By applying the phase-filter non- locally, i.e. to the photons correlated to those probing the object, I acquired edge-enhanced images of a phase object whilst illuminating with significantly fewer photons than standard phase-contrast techniques. Having displayed the broad applicability of our low-light ghost imaging system, I then sought to determine the optical resolution in chapter 6. The resolution limits of ghost imaging are not clear at first glance owing to the resolutions dependence upon the strength of spatial correlations. As the length over which the spatial correlations are produced can be brought below the standard diffraction limit, it would seem the resolution of the system could be brought similarly low. To clarify this I artificially restricted the number of spatial modes in each of the correlated beams to uncover the physically realisable resolution. I show that although the resolution of a ghost imaging system to be fundamentally determined by the strength of the correlations, this can never be reached due to the inherent limitations of the intervening imaging system.
The quantum ghost imaging phenomena, experimentally demonstrated a decade ago, exploited the apparent spooky action at a distance of entangled photon pairs and offered a novel approach toward imaging. Can ghost imaging effects be produced by ``classical'' light sources, such as separable systems of photon pairs or thermal light? If so, can these sources achieve the same accuracy achieved by entangled states? In order to answer these questions, we formulate the different physics behind entangled and separable systems in terms of a set of inequalities derived from the historical argument of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen. We show that the ghost images produced by separable sources are subject to the standard statistical limitations. However, entangled states offer the possibility of overcoming such limitations. Imaging can, therefore, achieve its fundamental limit through the high spatial resolution and nonlocal behavior of entangled systems.
Entangled-photon coincidence imaging is a method to nonlocally image an object by transmitting a pair of entangled photons through the object and a reference optical system, respectively. The image of the object can be extracted from the coincidence rate of these two photons. From a classical perspective, the image is proportional to the fourth-order correlation function of the wave field. Using classical statistical optics, we study a particular aspect of coincidence imaging with incoherent sources. As an application, we give a proposal to realize lensless Fourier-transform imaging, and discuss its applicability in x-ray diffraction.
빛의 양자역학적 성질인 얽힘(entanglement)을 이용한 양자 고스트 이미징(quantum ghost imaging)은 고전적인 동시계수 측정(classical coincidence measurement)에 의해서도 정성적으로 재현됨이 알려져 있다[1,2]. 본 실험에서는 진행방향에서 고전적인 상관관계를 가지는 빛을 이용하여 고전 동시계수 이미징(classical coincidence imaging) 실험을 수행하여 양자역학적 얽힘 상태에서 볼 수 있는 현상들을 관측하고 고스트 이미지가 나오는 원리를 분석하였다. 고전적인 상관관계를 가지는 광원은 아르곤이온 레이저에서 나오는 빛의 경로를 스피커에 부착되어 회전하는 거울에 반사시켜 진행방향에 대해 상관관계를 가지도록 만들어 사용하였다. Quantum ghost imaging uses quantum mechanically entangled photons to form an image of an object. The quantum ghost image is also obtained by means of classical coincidence measurements with a classically correlated light source[1,2]. In this work we performed classical coincidence imaging experiments with classically correlated beams in their direction of propagation. We observed the ghost interference patterns which were usually made by quantum mechanically entangled states and we also analyze in detail the mechanism of the ghost imaging with classically correlated lights. We made? the classically correlated source with an Ar laser and controlled the direction of the light by a mirror? mounted on a small speaker.