Correlation-Based Thermal Quantum Imaging Using SNSPDs Under Low Signal-to-Noise Conditions
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Thermal light is characterized by the phenomenon of photon bunching, which manifests as a higher probability of detecting two photons within a short time interval compared to a purely random distribution. In this work, we propose an imaging system that exploits this temporal correlation by employing innovative SNSPD detectors, which – thanks to their features to be presented – allow only temporally correlated photon pairs to be selected, effectively suppressing uncorrelated background. The system, for which a patent has been filed, offers a superior signal-to-noise ratio compared to intensity-only imaging, particularly under low-light conditions. In the following, we will describe the optical layout of the system, the operating principle based on temporal correlation, the results of simulations of stray light suppression, and the potential applications in low signal-to-noise scenarios.
Institutions: National Research Council, University of Naples Federico II
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7215096967