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SPIE Quantum Technologies for Defence and Security

Quantum remote sensing

Dominik Walter, Carsten Pitsch

Published Nov 15, 2024• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We present an advanced quantum ghost imaging (QGI) setup that enables low-noise, three-dimensional imaging and ranging of distant objects. A key technical innovation is asynchronous detection by independent single photon detectors, which significantly simplifies existing setups and allows imaging at arbitrary distances. Recent experimental results demonstrate low-noise imaging and efficient object ranging. An important quantum advantage with regard to secure active sensing is indistinguishability from background noise for external parties.

DOI
10.1117/12.3031683

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We present an advanced quantum ghost imaging (QGI) setup that enables low-noise, three-dimensional imaging and ranging of distant objects. A key technical innovation is asynchronous detection by independent single photon detectors, which significantly simplifies existing setups and allows imaging at arbitrary distances. Recent experimental results demonstrate low-noise imaging and efficient object ranging. An important quantum advantage with regard to secure active sensing is indistinguishability from background noise for external parties.
We investigate a novel quantum based active imaging system for remote sensing that has inherent resistance to hostile detection and jamming. It is an advanced quantum ghost imaging setup, which does not rely on preliminary information on the distances of objects. The photon source of the setup will be suited for standoff detection with illumination of remote objects in the infrared, while retrieving the spatial information in the visible regime with matured silicon technology. Due to inherent randomness of illumination patterns in space and time only the observer is able to distinguish illumination photons from ambient background noise by position- and time-correlation of entangled partner photons.
Quantum Ghost Imaging (QGI) is a scheme using entangled pairs of photons (signal and idler) in order to perform imaging with both single photons and with only a single-element detector in the spectrum of interest. It utilises the temporal coincidence of the photons to identify associated pairs, while their spatial correlation allows to obtain image information from of the idler photon from the measurement of the signal photon. It is especially useful when using nondegenerate photon pairs, allowing to keep the signal photon in the silicon detection window, while the interacting wavelength can be freely chosen.However, current schemes are limited, as they rely on time-gating and heralding. Recent advances in single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) allow the design of new single photon cameras, which can be outfitted with dedicated in-pixel timing circuitry. This allows to register single photons in both time and space. These detectors allowed us to design a new scheme for QGI, in which the coincidence is evaluated after the measurement. It also allows us to perform depth-resolved 3D imaging based on the time-of-flight of photons, first results of which are presented here.
Low-light-level imaging in the infrared regime could find applications in areas ranging from technological to biological. Still, its development is limited by the inefficiency of silicon-based detectors in this regime. Quantum Ghost Imaging (QGI) can address this limitation by allowing the separation of illumination and imaging [1]. This is accomplished by generating non-degenerate correlated photon pairs, whose infrared photon probes the object and is detected by an InGaAs bucket detector, while the spatial distribution of the visible one is collected by a single-photon sensitive silicon camera. Traditional QGI setups evaluate photon correlations through “heralding”, by triggering the camera upon idler detection and thus require an image-preserving delay-line, which limits their use for remote sensing [1]. In asynchronous QGI (aQGI) cameras are replaced with SPAD arrays [2] able to record photon timestamp with picoseconds precision. By identifying pairs through timestamps comparison, the mentioned limitations are resolved [3], enabling applications with reflective or diffusive objects where the timestamp delay depends on the object's position. In this work, we propose and demonstrate an experimental QGI setup for remote sensing in reflection configuration (Fig. 1). Collinear non-degenerate pairs of single-photons at 550 nm and 1550 nm are generated by pumping a 2 mm-long type-0 ppKTP crystal with a 405 nm laser. To enable imaging of objects at varying distances, we implemented a momentum-correlation-based setup. Infrared photons interacting with the object were collected by commercially available InGaAs SPAD detectors, while the visible photons were directly captured using a prototype silicon SPAD array developed by Politecnico di Milano [4]. It is based on a 32×32 SPAD, with in-pixel TDCs, and on-chip microlenses are employed to reach a fill factor of 78%. The time resolution is adjustable down to 250 ps, with 1 μs Full Scale Range (FSR). The measurement duty cycle (i.e. the ration of the TDC FSR and the frame time) can be increased with a multi-gate acquisition scheme. To validate the efficiency of our setup, we tested it using a proof-of-principle object, as shown in Fig. 1b. The reconstructed images, captured with the object placed at 30 cm intervals in an acquisition time of only 30 s, are shown in Fig. 1c. In summary, the shown results confirm the potential of the proposed setup for remote sensing applications, particularly for reflective or diffusive objects. Moreover, the proposed approach could offers the possibility of significantly reduce acquisition times compared to standard QGI setups.
Quantum Ghost Imaging (QGI) is a powerful imaging technique that enables probing of an object using illumination levels beyond classical limits and does not rely on a single-photon-sensitive camera in the spectrum of interest. Current “heralded” QGI setups provide high-resolution images with intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) cameras, but their acquisition time and applicability are limited by setup complexity and detector dead time. Recently, new setups using single photon detection and time-tagging have been shown to allow more efficient acquisition while also enabling new applications, such as remote 3D imaging using “asynchronous” QGI. Here, we demonstrate novel results of two asynchronous QGI setups, using a dedicated high duty-cycle single photon avalanche diode array to drastically reduce acquisition time to sub-second regime, demonstrating video acquisition at 10 fps. As this scheme allows interoperability with arbitrary single photon timing detectors, it can be adapted to a variety of applications and is not bound by the detection window of silicon-based detectors. We further study the impact of the choice of bucket detector and pump laser, using readily available off-the-shelf detectors and lasers. Summarizing the findings, we discuss the remaining limitations for real-time imaging and give an outlook on upcoming developments and an outline of further applications of both detectors and detection scheme.
We present first results of a novel type of setup for quantum ghost imaging based on asynchronous single photon timing using single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors. This scheme enables photon pairing with arbitrary path length difference and does, therefore, obviate the dependence on optical delay lines of current quantum ghost imaging setups [Nat. Commun.6, 5913 (2015)NCAOBW2041-172310.1038/ncomms6913]. It is also, to our knowledge, the first quantum ghost imaging setup to allow three-dimensional imaging.