Reconfigurable phase contrast microscopy with correlated photon pairs

Abstract

A phase-sensitive microscopy technique is proposed and demonstrated that employs the momentum correlations inherent in spontaneous parametric down-conversion. One photon from a correlated pair is focused onto a microscopic target while the other is measured in the Fourier plane. This provides knowledge of the position and angle of illumination for every photon striking the target, allowing full post-production control of the illumination angle used to form an image. The versatility of this approach is showcased with asymmetric illumination and differential phase contrast imaging, without any beam blocks or moving parts.