Polarization entanglement-enabled quantum holography

Abstract

Holography is a cornerstone characterisation and imaging technique that can be applied to the full electromagnetic spectrum, from X-rays to radio waves or even particles such as neutrons. The key property in all these holographic approaches is coherence that is required to extract the phase information through interference with a reference beam -without this, holography is not possible. Here we introduce a holographic imaging approach that operates on intrinsically incoherent and unpolarised beams, so that no phase information can be extracted from a classical interference measurement. Instead, the holographic information is encoded in the second order coherence of entangled states of light. Using spatial-polarisation hyper-entangled photons pairs, we remotely reconstruct phase images of complex objects. Information is encoded into the polarisation degree of the entangled state, allowing us to image through dynamic phase disorder and even in the presence of strong classical noise, with enhanced spatial resolution compared to classical coherent holographic systems. Beyond imaging, quantum holography quantifies hyper-entanglement distributed over 10 4 modes via a spatially-resolved Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality measurement, with applications in quantum state characterisation.

Quantum holography with undetected light

“…Quantum communications ( 1 – 3 ), quantum computation ( 4 ), and, particularly, quantum imaging ( 5 – 9 ) are just some examples of novel areas of science and technology where quantum ideas are helping to implement systems with enabling new capabilities. Quantum technologies promise to go further than classical counterpart technologies by using new quantum states of light and matter, performing tasks that are impossible to implement classically ( 10 ). A clear example of this is the ability to obtain a hologram from single photons ( 11 ) and even recording the hologram without detecting the photons themselves as we report here.…”

Polarization Sensitive Imaging with Qubits

“…Increasing acquisition speed impairs image quality as quantum correlations become comparable to the background noise. Recent reports have focused on the resilience of quantum imaging to stray light and overall enhancement of image quality and resolution [1,2]. In [1], this is achieved by combining the signal and the phase profile using entangled photons and spatial light modulators (SLM).…”

“…Recent reports have focused on the resilience of quantum imaging to stray light and overall enhancement of image quality and resolution [1,2]. In [1], this is achieved by combining the signal and the phase profile using entangled photons and spatial light modulators (SLM). Subsequently, the image is reconstructed using coincidence measurements of four projections operators.…”

Polarization-entangled biphoton states: a comparison of biperiod waveguides in KTP and LN

“…A different perspective to describe the full temporal and spatial characterization of polarizationentangled photons through SPDC is presented by the authors [19] using an intensified high-speed optical camera as a new characterization method for the spatial distribution of entangled quantum information. Another recent study [20] of quantum imaging utilizing spatial-polarization hyperentangled photon pairs is used to remotely reconstruct phase images of complex objects. Information encoded into the polarization degree of the entangled state allows imaging through dynamic phase disorder, even in the presence of strong classical noise, with enhanced spatial resolution compared with classical coherent holographic systems.…”