Resolution Enhancement for a Quantum Microscope

在显微镜中，光敏材料的成像一直是一个问题，因为被研究的样品可能会被照明本身改变或损坏。最小化这个问题的一个naïve方法是简单地降低照明强度。不幸的是，这样做的代价是增加噪点，这大大降低了图像的对比度和清晰度。因此，本提案要求为购买光学参量振荡器（OPO）系统提供资金，该系统将提高光敏生物细胞成像的分辨率。OPO系统能够产生被称为压缩相干态的特殊光量子态，它可以克服噪声问题，并且对相位变化更加敏感。我建议在过去两年中我开发的一种新型量子成像技术中使用这些由所要求的OPO系统产生的特殊状态：“无交互鬼魂成像”（IFGI）。IFGI能够大大减少样品上的光子照明，同时提供改进的图像质量。由于压缩相干态的相位敏感性，这种混合量子成像系统将有能力实现微米尺度，即生物细胞尺度上的高分辨率成像。因此，该系统将使我实现第一个量子显微镜获得光敏生物样品的结构信息，提高分辨率和对比度。所要求的业务干事制度是实现这一目标的关键，也是确保培训这一领域的高素质人员的关键。如果没有要求的OPO系统，并且考虑到对量子显微镜的广泛兴趣，我（和加拿大）可能会失去成为第一个开放和发展这一研究领域的机会。

In microscopy, the imaging of light-sensitive materials has been a persistent problem, as the sample being studied may be altered or damaged by the illumination itself. One naïve way to minimize this problem is to simply reduce the illumination intensity. Doing this, unfortunately, comes at the cost of increased noise, which greatly reduces the contrast and clarity of the image. Thus, this proposal requests funding for the purchase of an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) system, which will allow for the improved resolution in the imaging of light-sensitive biological cells. An OPO system is capable of producing special quantum states of light known as Squeezed Coherent states, which can overcome the problem of noise and are much more sensitive to phase changes. I propose to use these special states, produced with the requested OPO system, in a novel quantum imaging technique that I have developed over the past two years: "Interaction-Free Ghost-Imaging" (IFGI). IFGI is capable of greatly reducing the photon illumination on a sample while providing improved image quality. Due to the phase sensitivity of the squeezed coherent states, this hybrid quantum imaging system would have the ability to achieve high-resolution imaging on the micron scale, i.e. on the scale of biological cells. Thus, this system will allow me to realize the first Quantum Microscope to gain structural information of light-sensitive biological samples with enhanced resolution and increased contrast. The requested OPO system is key to realizing this goal, as well as ensuring the training of high-qualified personnel in this field. Without the requested OPO system, and given an extensive interest in the community for a quantum microscope, I (and Canada) could miss the opportunity to be the first to open and develop this area of research.