Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limit
Abstract Entangled biphoton sources exhibit nonclassical characteristics and have been applied to imaging techniques such as ghost imaging, quantum holography, and quantum optical coherence tomography. The development of wide-field quantum imaging to date has been hindered by low spatial resolutions...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38191-4 |
| _version_ | 1797836332411650048 |
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| author | Zhe He Yide Zhang Xin Tong Lei Li Lihong V. Wang |
| author_facet | Zhe He Yide Zhang Xin Tong Lei Li Lihong V. Wang |
| author_sort | Zhe He |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Entangled biphoton sources exhibit nonclassical characteristics and have been applied to imaging techniques such as ghost imaging, quantum holography, and quantum optical coherence tomography. The development of wide-field quantum imaging to date has been hindered by low spatial resolutions, speeds, and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs). Here, we present quantum microscopy by coincidence (QMC) with balanced pathlengths, which enables super-resolution imaging at the Heisenberg limit with substantially higher speeds and CNRs than existing wide-field quantum imaging methods. QMC benefits from a configuration with balanced pathlengths, where a pair of entangled photons traversing symmetric paths with balanced optical pathlengths in two arms behave like a single photon with half the wavelength, leading to a two-fold resolution improvement. Concurrently, QMC resists stray light up to 155 times stronger than classical signals. The low intensity and entanglement features of biphotons in QMC promise nondestructive bioimaging. QMC advances quantum imaging to the microscopic level with significant improvements in speed and CNR toward the bioimaging of cancer cells. We experimentally and theoretically prove that the configuration with balanced pathlengths illuminates an avenue for quantum-enhanced coincidence imaging at the Heisenberg limit. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:08:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-23de48a345504b42928648cf453c4eb6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:08:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-23de48a345504b42928648cf453c4eb62023-04-30T11:20:20ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-04-011411810.1038/s41467-023-38191-4Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limitZhe He0Yide Zhang1Xin Tong2Lei Li3Lihong V. Wang4Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyCaltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyCaltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyCaltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyCaltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of TechnologyAbstract Entangled biphoton sources exhibit nonclassical characteristics and have been applied to imaging techniques such as ghost imaging, quantum holography, and quantum optical coherence tomography. The development of wide-field quantum imaging to date has been hindered by low spatial resolutions, speeds, and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs). Here, we present quantum microscopy by coincidence (QMC) with balanced pathlengths, which enables super-resolution imaging at the Heisenberg limit with substantially higher speeds and CNRs than existing wide-field quantum imaging methods. QMC benefits from a configuration with balanced pathlengths, where a pair of entangled photons traversing symmetric paths with balanced optical pathlengths in two arms behave like a single photon with half the wavelength, leading to a two-fold resolution improvement. Concurrently, QMC resists stray light up to 155 times stronger than classical signals. The low intensity and entanglement features of biphotons in QMC promise nondestructive bioimaging. QMC advances quantum imaging to the microscopic level with significant improvements in speed and CNR toward the bioimaging of cancer cells. We experimentally and theoretically prove that the configuration with balanced pathlengths illuminates an avenue for quantum-enhanced coincidence imaging at the Heisenberg limit.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38191-4 |
| spellingShingle | Zhe He Yide Zhang Xin Tong Lei Li Lihong V. Wang Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limit Nature Communications |
| title | Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limit |
| title_full | Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limit |
| title_fullStr | Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limit |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limit |
| title_short | Quantum microscopy of cells at the Heisenberg limit |
| title_sort | quantum microscopy of cells at the heisenberg limit |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38191-4 |
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