arXiv subjects

Daniele Faccio

Publications and source records attributed to Daniele Faccio.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Computational imaging with the human brain

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are enabling a range of new possibilities and routes for augmenting human capability. Here, we propose BCIs as a route towards forms of computation, i.e. computational imaging, that blend the brain with external silicon processing. We demonstrate ghost imaging of a hidden scene using the human visual system that is combined with an adaptive computational imaging scheme. This is achieved through a projection pattern `carving' technique that relies on real-time feedback from the brain to modify patterns at the light projector, thus enabling more efficient and higher resolution imaging. This brain-computer connectivity demonstrates a form of augmented human computation that could in the future extend the sensing range of human vision and provide new approaches to the study of the neurophysics of human perception. As an example, we illustrate a simple experiment whereby image reconstruction quality is affected by simultaneous conscious processing and readout of the perceived light intensities.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2022

Pixel super-resolution using spatially-entangled photon pairs

Pixelation occurs in many imaging systems and limits the spatial resolution of the acquired images. This effect is notably present in quantum imaging experiments with correlated photons in which the number of pixels used to detect coincidences is often limited by the sensor technology or the acquisition speed. Here, we introduce a pixel super-resolution technique based on measuring the full spatially-resolved joint probability distribution (JPD) of spatially-entangled photons. Without shifting optical elements or using prior information, our technique increases the pixel resolution of the imaging system by a factor two and enables retrieval of spatial information lost due to undersampling. We demonstrate its use in various quantum imaging protocols using photon pairs, including quantum illumination, entanglement-enabled quantum holography, and in a full-field version of N00N-state quantum holography. The JPD pixel super-resolution technique can benefit any full-field imaging system limited by the sensor spatial resolution, including all already established and future photon-correlation-based quantum imaging schemes, bringing these techniques closer to real-world applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Remote laser-speckle sensing of heart sounds for health assessment and biometric identification

Assessment of heart sounds is the cornerstone of cardiac examination, but it requires a stethoscope, skills and experience, and a direct contact with the patient. We developed a contactless, machine-learning assisted method for heart-sound identification and quantification based on the remote measurement of the reflected laser speckle from the neck skin surface in healthy individuals. We compare the performance of this method to standard digital stethoscope recordings on an example task of heart-beat sound biometric identification. We show that our method outperforms the stethoscope even allowing identification on the test data taken on different days. This method might allow development of devices for remote monitoring of cardiovascular health in different settings.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2022

Statistical Dependencies Beyond Linear Correlations in Light Scattered by Disordered Media

Imaging through scattering and random media is an outstanding problem that to date has been tackled by either measuring the medium transmission matrix or exploiting linear correlations in the transmitted speckle patterns. However, transmission matrix techniques require interferometric stability and linear correlations, such as the memory effect, can be exploited only in thin scattering media. Here we show the existence of a statistical dependency in strongly scattered optical fields in a case where first-order correlations are not expected. We also show that this statistical dependence and the related information transport is directly linked to artificial neural network imaging in strongly scattering, dynamic media. These non-trivial dependencies provide a key to imaging through dynamic and thick scattering media with applications for deep-tissue imaging or imaging through smoke or fog

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

An all-dielectric metasurface polarimeter

The polarization state of light is a key parameter in many imaging systems. For example, it can image mechanical stress and other physical properties that are not seen with conventional imaging, and can also play a central role in quantum sensing. However, polarization is more difficult to image and polarimetry typically involves several independent measurements with moving parts in the measurement device. Metasurfaces with interleaved designs have demonstrated sensitivity to either linear or circular/elliptical polarization states. Here we present an all-dielectric meta-polarimeter for direct measurement of any arbitrary polarization states from a single unit-cell design. By engineering a completely asymmetric design, we obtained a metasurface that can excite eigenmodes of the nanoresonators, thus displaying a unique diffraction pattern for not only any linear polarization state but all elliptical polarization states (and handedness) as well. The unique diffraction patterns are quantified into Stokes parameters with a resolution of 5$^{\circ}$ and with a polarization state fidelity of up to $99\pm1$%. This holds promise for applications in polarization imaging and quantum state tomography.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Quantum microscopy based on Hong-Ou-Mandel interference

Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference, the bunching of indistinguishable photons at a beam splitter, is a staple of quantum optics and lies at the heart of many quantum sensing approaches and recent optical quantum computers. Here, we report a full-field, scan-free, quantum imaging technique that exploits HOM interference to reconstruct the surface depth profile of transparent samples. We demonstrate the ability to retrieve images with micrometre-scale depth features with a photon flux as small as 7 photon pairs per frame. Using a single photon avalanche diode camera we measure both the bunched and anti-bunched photon-pair distributions at the HOM interferometer output which are combined to provide a lower-noise image of the sample. This approach demonstrates the possibility of HOM microscopy as a tool for label-free imaging of transparent samples in the very low photon regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Near-maximal two-photon entanglement for quantum communications at 2.1 $μ$m

Owing to a reduced solar background and low propagation losses in the atmosphere, the 2- to 2.5-$μ$m waveband is a promising candidate for daylight quantum communication. This spectral region also offers low losses and low dispersion in hollow-core fibers and in silicon waveguides. We demonstrate for the first time near-maximally entangled photon pairs at 2.1 $μ$m that could support device independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) assuming sufficiently high channel efficiencies. The state corresponds to a positive secure-key rate (0.254 bits/pair, with a quantum bit error rate of 3.8%) based on measurements in a laboratory setting with minimal channel loss and transmission distance. This is promising for the future implementation of DIQKD at 2.1 $μ$m.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Measurement of Penrose superradiance in a photon superfluid

The superradiant amplification in the scattering from a rotating medium was first elucidated by Sir Roger Penrose over 50 years ago as a means by which particles could gain energy from rotating black holes. Despite this fundamental process being ubiquitous also in wave physics, it has only been observed once experimentally, in a water tank, and never in an astrophysical setting. Here, we measure this amplification for a nonlinear optics experiment in the superfluid regime. In particular, by focusing a weak optical beam carrying orbital angular momentum onto the core of a strong pump vortex beam, negative norm modes are generated and trapped inside the vortex core, allowing for amplification of a reflected beam. Our experiment demonstrates amplified reflection due to a novel form of nonlinear optical four-wave mixing, whose phase-relation coincides with the Zel'dovich-Misner condition for Penrose superradiance in our photon superfluid, and unveil the role played by negative frequency modes in the process.}

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

3D imaging from multipath temporal echoes

Echo-location is a broad approach to imaging and sensing that includes both man-made RADAR, LIDAR, SONAR and also animal navigation. However, full 3D information based on echo-location requires some form of scanning of the scene in order to provide the spatial location of the echo origin-points. Without this spatial information, imaging objects in 3D is a very challenging task as the inverse retrieval problem is strongly ill-posed. Here, we show that the temporal information encoded in the return echoes that are reflected multiple times within a scene is sufficient to faithfully render an image in 3D. Numerical modelling and an information theoretic perspective prove the concept and provide insight into the role of the multipath information. We experimentally demonstrate the concept by using both radio-frequency and acoustic waves for imaging individuals moving in a closed environment.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2021

Quantum Light Detection and Ranging

Single-photon light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is a key technology for depth imaging through complex environments. Despite recent advances, an open challenge is the ability to isolate the LiDAR signal from other spurious sources including background light and jamming signals. Here we show that a time-resolved coincidence scheme can address these challenges by exploiting spatiotemporal correlations between entangled photon pairs. We demonstrate that a photon-pair-based LiDAR can distill desired depth information in the presence of both synchronous and asynchronous spurious signals without prior knowledge of the scene and the target object. This result enables the development of robust and secure quantum LiDAR systems and paves the way to time-resolved quantum imaging applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Polarization entanglement-enabled quantum holography

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.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Zel'dovich amplification in a superconducting circuit

Zel'dovich proposed that electromagnetic (EM) waves with angular momentum reflected from a rotating metallic, lossy cylinder will be amplified. However, we are still lacking a direct experimental EM-wave verification of this fifty-year old prediction due to the challenging conditions in which the phenomenon manifests itself: the mechanical rotation frequency of the cylinder must be comparable with the EM oscillation frequency. Here we propose an experimental approach that solves this issue and is predicted to lead to a measurable Zel'dovich amplification with existing superconducting circuit technology. We design a superconducting circuit with low frequency EM modes that couple through free-space to a magnetically levitated and spinning micro-sphere placed at the center of the circuit. We theoretically estimate the circuit EM mode gain and show that rotation of the micro-sphere can lead to experimentally observable amplification, thus paving the way for the first EM-field experimental demonstration of Zel'dovich amplification.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2020

The role of late photons in diffuse optical imaging

The ability to image through turbid media such as organic tissues, is a highly attractive prospect for biological and medical imaging. This is challenging however, due to the highly scattering properties of tissues which scramble the image information. The earliest photons that arrive at the detector are often associated with ballistic transmission, whilst the later photons are associated with complex paths due to multiple independent scattering events and are therefore typically considered to be detrimental to the final image formation process. In this work we report on the importance of these highly diffuse, "late" photons for computational time-of-flight diffuse optical imaging. In thick scattering materials, >80 transport mean free paths, we provide evidence that including late photons in the inverse retrieval enhances the image reconstruction quality. We also show that the late photons alone have sufficient information to retrieve images of a similar quality to early photon gated data. This result emphasises the importance in the strongly diffusive regime discussed here, of fully time-resolved imaging techniques.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Variational Inference for Computational Imaging Inverse Problems

Machine learning methods for computational imaging require uncertainty estimation to be reliable in real settings. While Bayesian models offer a computationally tractable way of recovering uncertainty, they need large data volumes to be trained, which in imaging applications implicates prohibitively expensive collections with specific imaging instruments. This paper introduces a novel framework to train variational inference for inverse problems exploiting in combination few experimentally collected data, domain expertise and existing image data sets. In such a way, Bayesian machine learning models can solve imaging inverse problems with minimal data collection efforts. Extensive simulated experiments show the advantages of the proposed framework. The approach is then applied to two real experimental optics settings: holographic image reconstruction and imaging through highly scattering media. In both settings, state of the art reconstructions are achieved with little collection of training data.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2020

Imaging entanglement correlations with a single-photon avalanche diode camera

Spatial correlations between two photons are the key resource in realising many quantum imaging schemes. Measurement of the bi-photon correlation map is typically performed using single-point scanning detectors or single-photon cameras based on CCD technology. However, both approaches are limited in speed due to the slow scanning and the low frame-rate of CCD-based cameras, resulting in data acquisition times on the order of many hours. Here we employ a high frame rate, single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) camera, to measure the spatial joint probability distribution of a bi-photon state produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion, with statistics taken over $10^7$ frames acquired in just 140 seconds. We verified the presence of spatial entanglement between our photon pairs through the violation of an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen criterion, with a confidence level of 227 sigmas. Our work demonstrates the potential of SPAD cameras in the rapid characterisation of photon correlations, leading the way towards quantum imaging in real-time.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Spatial images from temporal data

Traditional paradigms for imaging rely on the use of a spatial structure, either in the detector (pixels arrays) or in the illumination (patterned light). Removal of the spatial structure in the detector or illumination, i.e., imaging with just a single-point sensor, would require solving a very strongly ill-posed inverse retrieval problem that to date has not been solved. Here, we demonstrate a data-driven approach in which full 3D information is obtained with just a single-point, single-photon avalanche diode that records the arrival time of photons reflected from a scene that is illuminated with short pulses of light. Imaging with single-point time-of-flight (temporal) data opens new routes in terms of speed, size, and functionality. As an example, we show how the training based on an optical time-of-flight camera enables a compact radio-frequency impulse radio detection and ranging transceiver to provide 3D images.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2020

Quantum illumination imaging with a single-photon avalanche diode camera

Single-photon-avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays are essential tools in biophotonics, optical ranging and sensing and quantum optics. However, their small number of pixels, low quantum efficiency and small fill factor have so far hindered their use for practical imaging applications. Here, we demonstrate full-field entangled photon pair correlation imaging using a 100-kpixels SPAD camera. By measuring photon coincidences between more than 500 million pairs of positions, we retrieve the full point spread function of the imaging system and subsequently high-resolution images of target objects illuminated by spatially entangled photon pairs. We show that our imaging approach is robust against stray light, enabling quantum imaging technologies to move beyond laboratory experiments towards real-world applications such as quantum LiDAR.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Penrose Superradiance in Nonlinear Optics

Particles or waves scattered from a rotating black hole can be amplified through the process of Penrose superradiance, though this cannot currently be observed in an astrophysical setting. However, analogue gravity studies can create generic rotating geometries exhibiting an ergoregion, and this led to the first observation of Penrose superradiance as the over-reflection of water waves from a rotating fluid vortex. Here we theoretically demonstrate that Penrose superradiance arises naturally in the field of nonlinear optics. In particular, we elucidate the mechanism by which a signal beam can experience gain or amplification as it glances off a strong vortex pump beam in a nonlinear defocusing medium. This involves the trapping of negative norm modes in the core of the pump vortex, as predicted by Penrose, which in turn provides a gain mechanism for the signal beam. Our results elucidate a new regime of nonlinear optics involving the notion of an ergoregion, and provide further insight into the processes involved in Penrose superradiance.

physics.optics↗