Intensity-correlation synthetic wavelength imaging in dynamic scattering media

Imaging through dynamic scattering media, such as biological tissue, presents a fundamental challenge due to light scattering and the formation of speckle patterns. These patterns not only degrade image quality but also decorrelate rapidly, limiting the effectiveness of conventional approaches, such as those based on transmission matrix measurements. Here, we introduce an imaging approach based on second-order correlations and synthetic wavelength holography to enable robust image reconstruction through thick and dynamic scattering media. By exploiting intensity speckle correlations and using short-exposure intensity images, our method computationally reconstructs images from a hologram without requiring phase stability or static speckles, making it inherently resilient to phase noise. Experimental results demonstrate high-resolution imaging in both static and dynamic scattering scenarios, offering a promising solution for biomedical imaging, remote sensing, and real-time imaging in complex environments.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-07-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-75195-2
Primary Topic
Random lasers and scattering media
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Intensity-correlation synthetic wavelength imaging in dynamic scattering media

Areeba Fatima, Khaled Kassem, Patrick Cornwall, Daniele Faccio et al.
Nature Communications
Random lasers and scattering media
article

Intensity-correlation synthetic wavelength imaging in dynamic scattering media

Areeba Fatima, Khaled Kassem, Patrick Cornwall, Daniele Faccio, Florian Willomitzer, Muralidhar M. Balaji
article en

Abstract

Imaging through dynamic scattering media, such as biological tissue, presents a fundamental challenge due to light scattering and the formation of speckle patterns. These patterns not only degrade image quality but also decorrelate rapidly, limiting the effectiveness of conventional approaches, such as those based on transmission matrix measurements. Here, we introduce an imaging approach based on second-order correlations and synthetic wavelength holography to enable robust image reconstruction through thick and dynamic scattering media. By exploiting intensity speckle correlations and using short-exposure intensity images, our method computationally reconstructs images from a hologram without requiring phase stability or static speckles, making it inherently resilient to phase noise. Experimental results demonstrate high-resolution imaging in both static and dynamic scattering scenarios, offering a promising solution for biomedical imaging, remote sensing, and real-time imaging in complex environments.

Nature Communications
University of Arizona (US), University of Glasgow (GB)
Royal Academy of Engineering, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Openalex Percentile: Top 99%
Random lasers and scattering media
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