Exploring plenoptic properties of correlation imaging with chaotic light

TL;DR

This paper investigates how chaotic light can be used in correlation imaging setups to achieve plenoptic imaging, enabling multi-perspective views and refocusing capabilities in a single data acquisition.

Contribution

It demonstrates the plenoptic property in three different correlation imaging schemes with chaotic light, expanding the potential for practical imaging applications.

Findings

Plenoptic imaging can be achieved with chaotic light correlation setups.

Multiple perspectives and refocusing are possible in a single measurement.

The protocols have practical applications in imaging systems.

Abstract

In a setup illuminated by chaotic light, we consider different schemes that enable to perform imaging by measuring second-order intensity correlations. The most relevant feature of the proposed protocols is the ability to perform plenoptic imaging, namely to reconstruct the geometrical path of light propagating in the system, by imaging both the object and the focusing element. This property allows to encode, in a single data acquisition, both multi-perspective images of the scene and light distribution in different planes between the scene and the focusing element. We unveil the plenoptic property of three different setups, explore their refocusing potentialities and discuss their practical applications.