The generalized optical memory effect

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive theoretical framework for wave correlations in scattering media, extending the optical memory effect to more general conditions and demonstrating practical applications in adaptive optics microscopy.

Contribution

It generalizes the optical memory effect to include joint shifts and tilts in scattering media of arbitrary geometry, supported by experimental validation.

Findings

Wave correlations persist over combined spatial and angular shifts.

Coupled correlations can be exploited to enhance imaging techniques.

Experimental evidence confirms the theoretical predictions.

Abstract

The optical memory effect is a well-known type of wave correlation that is observed in coherent fields that scatter through thin and diffusive materials, like biological tissue. It is a fundamental physical property of scattering media that can be harnessed for deep-tissue microscopy or 'through-the-wall' imaging applications. Here we show that the optical memory effect is a special case of a far more general class of wave correlation. Our new theoretical framework explains how waves remain correlated over both space and angle when they are jointly shifted and tilted inside scattering media of arbitrary geometry. We experimentally demonstrate the existence of such coupled correlations and describe how they can be used to optimize the scanning range in adaptive optics microscopes.