Quantum Imaging Uses Entangled Photons To Correct Distorted Images in Microscopes

For centuries, there has been a longstanding problem which prevents microscopes from generating sharper images at the smallest scales. Just recently, a team of experts suggests that the unique properties of quantum physics could help solve this problem.

Challenges in Microscopy

Since the 16th century, microscopes have been invaluable tools for scientists. After several centuries, advances in optics have allowed researchers to produce more detailed images of the basic structures of cells and materials.

Over time, microscopes have developed complexities which make them run up against the limits of conventional optical technology. Even tiny flaws in the elements that resolve images can produce blurred images.

Experts currently use a process called adaptive optics to correct image distortions due to aberrations. Aberrations can be brought by small imperfections in lenses and other optical elements or by flaws in the sample under a microscope.

The key to adaptive optics is a 'guide star', a bright spot identified in the sample under the microscope. This spot provides a reference point for detecting aberrations which will then be used by spatial light modulators in shaping the light and in correcting for the distortions.

However, reliance on guide stars poses challenges for microscopes which image samples like cells and tissues that do not contain bright spots. While experts have developed guide star-free adaptive optics using image processing algorithms, these can fail for samples with complex structures.

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Imaging With Entangled Photons

In a new study, researchers from University of Glasgow demonstrated the use of entangled photons in sensing and correcting aberrations that typically distort microscopic images. They collaborated with scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel in France to conduct the study "Adaptive optical imaging with entangled photons."

The study involves the use of a new technique to retrieve high-resolution images of biological test samples, focusing on the mouthpiece and leg of a honeybee. Scientists named the new process quantum-assisted adaptive optics. This was also used in correcting aberrations for samples with three dimensional structures, a situation where conventional adaptive optics usually fails.

When the pair of entangled photons encounter aberration, their entanglement becomes degraded. According to the researchers, the way these quantum correlations are degraded reveals information about the aberrations. This allows them to be corrected using complex computer analysis.

The data gathered about the correlations enable precise characterization of aberrations, allowing their correction with a spatial light modulator afterward. The study demonstrates that the correlations can be used to create clearer, more high-resolution images than traditional brightfield microscopy methods.

The new method could lead to new advances in quantum-enhanced microscopy for use across a wide range of fields. Still, the team has some technical challenges to overcome before adopting the method widely in optical microscopes.

According to research co-author Professor Daniele Faccio, the next generation of cameras and light sources has the potential to improve the speed in resolving images. The research team plans to continue their work on refining and developing their new process. They also look forward to finding new real-world applications for advanced microscopy as they progress.

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