Quantum superresolution imaging

Project description

A primary limitation on the resolution of all optical devices is imposed by diffraction on the rim of the objective lens. Although this limit has been known for 150 years and appeared unsurmountable, modern optics showed that it can be beaten by extracting not just the intensity distribution in the image plane as in conventional direct imaging, but the correlation of electromagnetic field amplitudes at different transverse positions [1].

The main goal of this PhD project is to discover the ultimate physical limits of resolution and develop an imaging technology able to approach them in realistic conditions and at all scales. The project will utilise theoretical tools from quantum estimation theory [2] to investigate fundamental bounds on the precision with which a discrete or continuous set of parameters characterising an image can be simultaneously estimated by means of optimal detection strategies, and investigate to what extent artificial intelligence methods can further enhance the image reconstruction process in the presence of external noise and imperfections.