MRI: Acquisition of a Time-Resolved, Image-Intensified Camera for the Spatial Imaging of Quantum-Entangled Photons

相机成像已经改变了科学和社会。现代照相机经常用电子探测器阵列记录大量光子，即光的量子粒子。这个研究项目将研究由少量单个光子携带的图像的新应用。将获得最先进的相机来研究单光子形成的图像。这将为研究如何利用光子的量子特性（如纠缠）来完成成像提供新的可能性。该团队将探索新的成像方法如何能够更深入地了解光，并为开发新的量子技术铺平道路。该摄像机还将使本科生能够研究量子光学现象，如“幽灵成像”，这将提高他们在量子物理基础方面的教育水平。光的空间模式是图像的基本组成部分。这项研究的目标是成像与其他光子量子纠缠的单光子的空间模式，以及其他自由度，如偏振。图像增强相机将能够获取光子图像，这是传统相机由于触发技术的缺陷而无法实现的。该团队将研究使用相机来表征光的量子态，以替代当前方法的方式。这个团队还将研究光子通过纠缠所携带的图像，他们将研究光的高维超纠缠。该相机将帮助本科生进行纠缠光子的量子光学研究，这将提高学生对量子纠缠的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Imaging with cameras has transformed science and society. Modern cameras often record huge numbers of photons, the quantum-particles of light, with arrays of electronic detectors. This research project will investigate new applications for images that are carried by a small number of individual photons. A state-of-the-art camera will be acquired to study images formed with single photons. This will open new possibilities for studying how imaging can be accomplished in ways that take advantage of quantum aspects of photons, such as entanglement. This team will explore how new imaging methods can lead to a deeper understanding of light and pave the way to developing new quantum technologies. The camera will also enable undergraduates to do research on quantum optics phenomena, such as "ghost imaging", and this will improve their education on the fundamentals of quantum physics.Spatial modes of light are the basic components of images. The goal of this research is to image the spatial modes of single photons that are quantum entangled with other photons, and with other degrees of freedom, such as polarization. The image-intensified camera will enable acquiring the images of photons that are not possible with conventional cameras due to shortcomings in their triggering technology. This team will investigate using the camera to characterize the quantum state of the light in ways that are alternative to current methods. This team will also investigate the images carried by photons through their entanglement, and they will investigate high-dimensional hyper-entanglement of light. The camera will help undergraduates to do research in quantum optics with entangled photons, and this will improve students' understanding of quantum entanglement.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.