Position correlation enabled quantum imaging with undetected photons

Abstract

Quantum imaging with undetected photons (QIUP) is a unique imaging technique that does not require the detection of the light used for illuminating the object. This technique requires a correlated pair of photons. In the existing implementations of QIUP, the imaging is enabled by the momentum correlation between the twin photons. We investigate the complementary scenario in which the imaging is instead enabled by the position correlation between the two photons. We present a general theory and show that the properties of the images obtained in these two cases are significantly distinct.

Quantum Sensing with Extreme Light

“…[ 165 ] The theoretical description has been developed recently as well, showing that the material parameters can be inferred from the detector image in a manner similar to the far field setup. [ 166 ] However theoretical and numerical analysis of the resolution limit has shown fundamental differences. The resolution limit for the near field configuration depends on the sum of the wavelengths of signal and idler instead of their ratio.…”

Fundamental resolution limit of quantum imaging with undetected photons

“…In this section, we derive the expression of the photon-counting rate of this nonlocal image similar to the treatment of Ref. [26]; however, our analysis is not restricted to the paraxial regime and consequently can be used to evaluate the ultimate resolution of quantum imaging, which as we will show, can be achieved by using thin sources and in a strongly nonparaxial regime of operation. It should be noted that for derivation of the analytical expression we resort to the q-domain representation, mainly due to the fact that Fourier transform expressions have a simpler form in this domain.…”

“…Afterwards, we use the state to study the response of QIUP to two slits of infinitesimal width and find the minimum resolvable distance between them. This work is focused on the scheme enabled by position correlations of signal and idler photons [26], as depicted in Fig. 1.…”

Subdiffraction Quantum Imaging with Undetected Photons

“…Conventional QIUP relies on induced coherence (IC) without induced emission, where the object is placed in the path of the idler beam between two identical photon-pair sources [6,7], typically based on bulk χ (2) -crystals. Position [8,9] or momentum [1,2,10] correlations between the signal and idler photons can be exploited to construct the object's image by only imaging the signal photons that never interacted with the object. Hence, object's optical properties at λ I , e.g.…”