Sub-Rayleigh Imaging via N-Photon Detection

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that using N-photon detection with a focused beam and random scanning can surpass the traditional Rayleigh diffraction limit, achieving resolution improvements proportional to the square root of N.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel method combining N-photon detection and random scanning to surpass the Rayleigh diffraction limit in imaging.

Findings

Resolution improved by a factor of approximately sqrt(N)

Experimental results agree with theoretical predictions

Achieved resolution beyond the Rayleigh bound

Abstract

The Rayleigh diffraction bound sets the minimum separation for two point objects to be distinguishable in a conventional imaging system. We demonstrate resolution enhancement beyond the Rayleigh bound using random scanning of a highly-focused beam and N-photon photodetection implemented with a single-photon avalanche detector array. Experimental results show resolution improvement by a factor ~sqrt(N) beyond the Rayleigh bound, in good agreement with theory.