Off-axis Aberrations Improve the Resolution Limits of Incoherent Imaging

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that off-axis aberrations like tilt and Petzval curvature can enhance the resolution limits of incoherent imaging systems by increasing Fisher information, enabling superresolution without complex modal techniques.

Contribution

It reveals that low-order off-axis aberrations improve two-point separation estimation, offering a practical approach to superresolution in incoherent imaging.

Findings

Off-axis aberrations increase Fisher information for separation estimation.

Modal imaging advantages can be achieved with direct imaging schemes.

Aberration-induced resolution enhancement is practical for superresolution applications.

Abstract

The presence of off-axis tilt and Petzval curvature, two of the lowest-order off-axis Seidel aberrations, is shown to improve the Fisher information of two-point separation estimation in an incoherent imaging system compared to an aberration-free system. Our results show that the practical localization advantages of modal imaging techniques within the field of quantum-inspired superresolution can be achieved with direct imaging measurement schemes alone.