Fundamental Limits of Classical and Quantum Imaging

TL;DR

This paper establishes fundamental theoretical limits on the resolution and deposition rate of classical and quantum imaging, providing a unified framework to compare their performance across various applications.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive theoretical framework and a utility function to compare classical and quantum imaging protocols, clarifying their fundamental limits.

Findings

Derived fundamental limits on imaging resolution and deposition rate.

Unified classical and quantum imaging comparison framework.

Proposed utility function for evaluating imaging protocols.

Abstract

Quantum imaging promises increased imaging performance over classical protocols. However, there are a number of aspects of quantum imaging that are not well understood. In particular, it has so far been unknown how to compare classical and quantum imaging procedures. Here, we consider classical and quantum imaging in a single theoretical framework and present general fundamental limits on the resolution and the deposition rate for classical and quantum imaging. The resolution can be estimated from the image itself. We present a utility function that allows us to compare imaging protocols in a wide range of applications.