Generation of a novel super-correlated light source and its application in quantum-correlated imaging

Quantum detection technology, particularly quantum imaging with correlated photons, provides a revolutionary approach for next-generation three-dimensional remote sensing and precise sensing with high-resolution and interference-resistant features, which can far surpass the imaging performance of conventional methods. Decades ago, the introduction of concepts such as quantum correlation provided a vision for such technologies; however, their implementation has long been hindered by the scarcity of suitable non-classical light sources. With advances in quantum optics and nonlinear optics, the development of practical, novel, non-classical light sources has accelerated rapidly. As declared by Manceau et al., strong photon correlations can substantially enhance the performance limits of quantum-correlated imaging.

Recently, a research team from China has made a significant breakthrough in this field. In 2025, a collaborative research team from Taiyuan University of Technology and Shanxi University successfully developed an all-fiberization non-classical light source; they named it “super-correlated light source.” This light source achieves new records in photon intensity correlation, multiphoton emission probability, and spectral coverage. This advance directly drove two landmarks demonstration experiments: quantum-correlated imaging with high contrast under environmental noise 100,000 times stronger than the echo signal and parallel interference-free ranging over distances exceeding 40 m. This breakthrough is a crucial step for the generation of new non-classical light sources and the development of correlation detection technologies.

Generation of super-correlated light source and noise-tolerant quantum-correlated imaging

The noise tolerance capability of quantum-correlated imaging has long been an important indicator for evaluating its practicality. The conventional quantum-correlated imaging schemes mainly rely on non-classical light sources, such as entangled photon pair. However, the inherent limitations of these sources, including weak photon intensity correlation, low multiphoton emission probability, limited correlated photon generation rate, and narrow spectral range, significantly constrain their performance in actual complex environments. The previously reported results could only achieve imaging under noise intensities that were only hundreds or even tens of times higher than the echo signal.3 They found it difficult to cope with extreme scenarios where environmental noise interference could be as high as tens of thousands of times or greater. One of the key reasons hindering further improvement of noise-tolerant imaging systems lies in the relatively low multiphoton emission probability and limited generation rate of correlated photon pairs for conventional non-classical light sources. After passing through atmospheric turbulence or complex media, the signal photons carrying the target information are significantly attenuated, resulting in the effective quantum correlation being eliminated. Furthermore, atmospheric absorption exhibits wavelength dependence, and thus it is also crucial to be able to select the appropriate operating wavelength according to the application requirements. These bottlenecks in application have driven the research team to develop new light sources to address these challenges.