2004/05/11 by A. Gatti, Gatti, A., E. Brambilla +6 · 7 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Near-Field Optical Microscopy #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Random lasers and scattering media #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/0405056
9 pages, 6 figures, in press in Phys. Rev. A (May 2004)
arxiv created 2004/05/11 · openalex publication_date 2004/05/11 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We analytically show that it is possible to perform coherent imaging by using the classical correlation of two beams obtained by splitting incoherent thermal radiation. A formal analogy is demonstrated between two such classically correlated beams and two entangled beams produced by parametric down-conversion. Because of this analogy, the classical beams can mimic qualitatively all the imaging properties of the entangled beams, even in ways which up to now were not believed possible. A key feature is that these classical beams are spatially correlated both in the near-field and in the far-field. Using realistic numerical simulations the performances of a quasi-thermal and a parametric down-conversion source are shown to be closely similar, both for what concerns the resolution and statistical properties. The results of this paper provide a new scenario for the discussion of what role the entanglement plays in correlated imaging.