Super-resolution provided by the arbitrarily strong superlinearity of the blackbody radiation

Guillaume Graciani,François Amblard

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13780-4

Guillaume Graciani, François Amblard

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13780-4

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Abstract

Blackbody radiation is a fundamental phenomenon in nature, and its explanation by Planck marks a cornerstone in the history of Physics. In this theoretical work, we show that the spectral radiance given by Planck’s law is strongly superlinear with temperature, with an arbitrarily large local exponent for decreasing wavelengths. From that scaling analysis, we propose a new concept of super-resolved detection and imaging: if a focused beam of energy is scanned over an object that absorbs and linearly converts that energy into heat, a highly nonlinear thermal radiation response is generated, and its point spread function can be made arbitrarily smaller than the excitation beam focus. Based on a few practical scenarios, we propose to extend the notion of super-resolution beyond its current niche in microscopy to various kinds of excitation beams, a wide range of spatial scales, and a broader diversity of target objects.

Highlights

Blackbody radiation is a fundamental phenomenon in nature, and its explanation by Planck marks a cornerstone in the history of Physics
For any kind of wave obeying the basic wave equation, the energy flow it transports cannot be focused in the far field to a focus smaller than the diffraction limit, and the resulting response of an object moving through that focus cannot be confined to a smaller spot unless one breaks the usually expected linear relationship between the local excitation intensity and the resulting response
If a blackbody-like object is heated with a linear temperature rise by the energy it absorbs from the diffraction-limited focus of a beam, and regardless of the physical nature of that beam, its thermal response will be confined to a volume smaller than the focus

Summary

Introduction

Blackbody radiation is a fundamental phenomenon in nature, and its explanation by Planck marks a cornerstone in the history of Physics. If a blackbody-like object is heated with a linear temperature rise by the energy it absorbs from the diffraction-limited focus of a beam, and regardless of the physical nature of that beam, its thermal response will be confined to a volume smaller than the focus.

Results

Conclusion