Above-twofold quantum super-resolution microscopy enabled by multiple idler passes with entangled biphotons.

Abstract

Spatial resolution defines the fundamental limit of how precisely optical imaging systems can distinguish details within an object. Recent advances in quantum imaging have surpassed classical resolution limits by exploiting entanglement. However, experimental demonstrations of quantum enhancement above two times using entangled biphotons have thus far been limited to nonimaging experiments that use replication of the object or nonlinearity-both are impractical and inefficient. Here, without resorting to either, we enhance the classical resolution using entangled photon pairs by either two- or fourfold in two system configurations. While the signal photons traverse the object-containing arm only once, the idler photons traverse the symmetric object-free arm either once or thrice. These experiments demonstrate a scalable route toward quantum-correlated super-resolution imaging, motivate theoretical exploration of the underlying mechanisms, and open opportunities for high-precision, low-illumination microscopy.