title: Quantum ghost image identification with correlated photon pairs.
abstract: Ghost imaging can be performed using either quantum or classical states of light that possess strong spatial correlations. In both cases, the image is formed by averaging over many optical events. Here we show that it is possible to distinguish an object from a preestablished basis set of objects by using a small number of position-correlated photon pairs produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The signal photon is incident on one member of a set of spatially nonoverlapping objects. The "ghost" image information is impressed upon the spatially separated idler photon and is extracted by means of holographic filtering and coincidence detection. We were able to distinguish among sets of two and four spatially nonoverlapping objects with confidence levels higher than 87% and 81%, respectively. This method of ghost imaging can be performed in situations requiring extremely low light levels.
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Mehul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: Heedeuk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zerom
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Boyd