Super-resolution imaging via spatiotemporal frequency shifting and coherent detection

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel far-field super-resolution imaging method that recovers evanescent waves by shifting their frequency and wave vector through acoustic phonon scattering, enabling subwavelength imaging beyond the diffraction limit.

Contribution

The paper presents a new technique for far-field super-resolution imaging by using acoustic phonon scattering to recover evanescent waves, extending imaging capabilities into the mid-IR and THz spectral regions.

Findings

Enables subwavelength imaging in the far field.

Applicable to digital holography for phase-sensitive measurements.

Potential extension to various spectral regions.

Abstract

Diffraction limit is manifested in the loss of high spatial frequency information that results from decay of evanescent waves. As a result, conventional far-field optics yields no information about an object's subwavelength features. Here we propose a novel approach to recovering evanescent waves in the far field, thereby enabling subwavelength-resolved imaging and spatial spectroscopy. Our approach relies on shifting the frequency and the wave vector of near-field components via scattering on acoustic phonons. This process effectively removes the spatial frequency cut-off for unambiguous far field detection. This technique can be adapted for digital holography, making it possible to perform phase-sensitive subwavelength imaging. We discuss the implementation of such a system in the mid-IR and THz bands, with possible extension to other spectral regions.