Quantum-limited imaging using diffractive optical neural networks

Abstract

We cast general imaging as multiparameter quantum estimation of band-limited spatial-frequency amplitudes. For separable (single-copy) measurements, we compute precision limits using semidefinite programming to evaluate the Nagaoka-Hayashi Cramér-Rao bound. We then introduce an architecture for a measurement apparatus based on diffractive optical neural networks and photon counting that saturates this bound. Extending the framework to arbitrary objects and many amplitudes, we show image reconstructions in which our architecture recovers fine features at the quantum limit, outperforming direct imaging. Together, these results open a scalable route to saturating multiparameter quantum limits in superresolution microscopy, telescopy, and remote sensing.