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Home
Quantitative Phase Gradient Microscopy With Spatially Entangled Photons.

Home
Quantitative Phase Gradient Microscopy With Spatially Entangled Photons.

Related Experiment Video

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference

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Published on: September 5, 2019

Quantitative phase gradient microscopy with spatially entangled photons.

Yingwen Zhang^1,2,3, Paul-Antoine Moreau^4,5, Duncan England⁶

¹Nexus for Quantum Technologies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. yzhang6@uottawa.ca.

Nature Communications

|February 24, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a novel quantum imaging technique for precise phase and amplitude measurement of transparent samples. It achieves high resolution and sensitivity without complex equipment, enabling non-invasive imaging applications.

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Area of Science:

Quantum Optics
Microscopy
Image Reconstruction

Background:

Conventional phase imaging methods often require interferometry, scanning, or complex algorithms.
These limitations restrict their application, especially for dynamic or photosensitive samples.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop an entanglement-based quantitative phase gradient microscopy technique.
To enable simultaneous, non-local measurement of sample transmission and phase gradient.
To achieve high-resolution amplitude and phase recovery without traditional limitations.

Main Methods:

Utilizes position-momentum entangled photon pairs for illumination.
One photon interacts with the sample (near-field), the other provides reference (far-field).
Leverages quantum correlations for dual-domain measurement and image reconstruction.

Main Results:

Achieved quantitative phase and amplitude imaging with 2.76 μm spatial resolution.
Demonstrated phase sensitivity of λ/100 with femtowatts of illuminating power.
Showcased robustness against dynamic and structured background light.

Conclusions:

The developed technique circumvents limitations of conventional phase imaging.
Offers a powerful tool for non-invasive imaging of photosensitive samples.
Has potential applications in adaptive optics and imaging under challenging lighting conditions.