Noise-tolerant single-photon imaging by using non-diffractive pulsed laser beams

Abstract

Accurate optical imaging capable of reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) target objects with strong surrounding noises are highly demanding in diverse applications. For conventional imagers with narrow probe beams, the probe beams usually suffer from serious spreading and distortion due to the diffraction and surrounding noises. Here, we construct a 3D imager by using pulsed Bessel beams, enabling reconstruction of high-resolution 3D profiles with sub-millimeter transverse resolution and sub-centimeter depth resolution. We demonstrate that due to the outstanding diffraction-free and self-healing properties of Bessel beams, the present imager can provide high-quality reconstructed images in high-noise environments with opaque scatters. The method developed here for reducing the effects of surrounding noises can also be exploited in the light detection and ranging technology at single-photon level.