Probing Photoreception with New Quantum-Enabled Imaging

Authors:

James E. Evans¹* ([email protected], PI), Kevin Crampton¹, Samantha Powell¹, Jory Brookreson¹, Nick Black², Saleem Iqbal², Patrick El-Khoury¹, Robert Boyd²

Institutions:

¹Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; ²University of Rochester

Abstract

This project is developing new hybrid quantum- enabled imaging platforms that combine advances in adaptive optics, quantum entanglement, coincidence detection, ghost imaging, quantum phase-contrast microscopy, and multidimensional nonlinear coherent spectromicroscopy. The approach has three parallel aims. The first two aims focus on developing new quantum imaging approaches in which entangled photons are employed to investigate samples with lower flux or lower-energy photons but with increased spatial resolution (Aim 1) and detection sensitivity (Aim 2). Aim 3 focuses on using coherent (nonentangled) photons and four-wave mixing along with structured illumination for super-resolution nonlinear imaging.

During the current project period, the team has been developing ghost imaging, quantum Differential Interference Contras and super-resolution second harmonic generation capabilities. The group also published a paper, “Quantum-Enhanced Phase Imaging Without Coincidence Counting”, in Optica (Black et al. 2023), which demonstrated a 1.7-fold increase in resolution. The team has since expanded that capability from a proof-of- principle low magnification setup to a setup more in line with plant, algal, and fungal bioimaging specifications. The study has acquired preliminary images off each new instrument in all three aims and begun initial experiments with test biological samples to evaluate real-world resolution and sensitivity. This poster will highlight the overall goals of the project and showcase recent results from each imaging modality.

Image

A Comparison of Resolution Between Classical Phase-Shifting Holography and Quantum Phase-Shifting Holography (a) A series of three horizontal bars with a maximum phase shift of π/2 was used to measure resolution with a spatial frequency of the bars at 13.3 line pairs/mm. (b) Experimental results (interferograms) indicate that only the quantum phase– shifting holography scheme can resolve the bars at this spatial frequency. [Adapted with permission from Black, A. N., et al. 2023. “Quantum-Enhanced Phase Imaging Without Coincidence Counting,” Optica 10(7), 952–58. DOI:10.1364/ OPTICA.482926]

References

Black, A. N., et al. 2023. “Quantum-Enhanced Phase Imaging Without Coincidence Counting,” Optica 10(7), 9522–8. DOI:10.1364/OPTICA.482926.

Funding Information

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for DOE under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830. This program is supported by the DOE Office of Science through the Genomic Science program within BER under FWP 76295. The work was performed at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (grid.436923.9), a DOE Office of Science user facility sponsored by BER.