Controllable visibility and resolution of Nth-order Talbot imaging with pseudo-thermal light

The theoretical proposal for an improved Talbot imaging technique has been analyzed in a periodic object illuminated by a pseudo-thermal light source and detected only by two detectors in two imaging schemes. The improved effect of lensless grating ghost image and Talbot image quality (fringe resolution and visibility) can be attributed to the higher correlation orders N. While at a certain order N, the spatial resolution of Talbot carpet patterns is determined by two-photon bunching effect, which depends on the positions of the periodic object and two detectors and different detection methods. Moreover, the sub wavelength of spatial correlation peaks and Talbot images obtained, when we use two asynchronous scanning detectors or an accelerated scanning detector. The present imaging schemes have the characteristic of the controllable image visibility and resolution, which has a potential application in periodic image reconstructions, sub wavelength resolution microscopy and sub wavelength atom lithography.