Intensity correlation holography for remote phase sensing and 3D imaging

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel intensity correlation holography method that enables remote phase sensing and 3D imaging with weak illumination, overcoming traditional coherence time limitations through combining multiple phase-shifted holograms.

Contribution

It presents a new approach using intensity correlation interferometry to create a single hologram from multiple phase-shifted holograms, allowing remote imaging without active stabilization.

Findings

Successfully imaged an object at ~3m distance

Performed phase imaging and 3D reconstruction with weak illumination

Overcame interferometer coherence time limitations

Abstract

Holography is an established technique for measuring the wavefront of optical signals through interferometric combination with a reference wave. Conventionally the integration time of a hologram is limited by the interferometer coherence time, thus making it challenging to prepare holograms of remote objects, especially using weak illumination. Here, we circumvent this limitation by using intensity correlation interferometry. Although the exposure time of individual holograms must be shorter than the interferometer coherence time, we show that any number of randomly phase-shifted holograms can be combined into a single intensity-correlation hologram. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we use this technique to perform phase imaging and 3D reconstruction of an object at a ~3m distance using weak illumination and without active phase stabilization.