Quantum correlated image recording through noisy and turbulent channels

Various quantum imaging techniques have been shown to be effective at imaging through some aspects of traditionally difficult free-space channels, including ghost imaging through turbulent channels or quantum illumination through channels with noisy backgrounds. While effective, these techniques have only ever been shown to work independently, whereas real-world free-space channels are often both turbulent and noisy. This work experimentally demonstrates that quantum correlated imaging using a spontaneous parametric downconversion source and a time-tagging camera can be made robust against both turbulent media and a noisy background in free-space channels by implementing filtering based on the temporal and spatial correlations of paired photons. Furthermore, the filtering reduces accidental coincidence counts between uncorrelated photons, allowing the pair source to operate at high brightness which, in turn, leads to video-rate integration times. These quantum correlated recordings allow for improved object tracking, while the longer integration time images improve image fidelity over turbulent and noisy channels. This demonstration could allow for new improvements in communication, measurement, and sensing through turbulent and noisy free-space channels.