Exploring the potential of random lasers for high-quality ghost imaging

Abstract

Ghost imaging, which reconstructs object images through correlation calculations of light fields, offers several advantages such as overcoming diffraction limits and resisting turbulence or scattering interference. In this article, we demonstrate that random lasers are excellent light sources for high-quality ghost imaging due to their random light field intensity distribution. The peak of the random laser emission spectrum fluctuates randomly over time, and the resulting speckle distribution also varies randomly. This characteristic makes it particularly suitable for generating the dynamic speckle field required for ghost imaging. Results show that the ghost imaging exhibits the optimal signal-to-noise ratio when the pump energy slightly exceeds the random laser threshold, and the signal-to-noise ratio exceeds 9.5. The resolution of ghost imaging depends mainly on the average size of the speckles, and the resolution of random laser ghost imaging can reach 88.3 μm in our experimental conditions. This research not only demonstrates the application potential of random lasers in the field of ghost imaging but also offers insights for developing more integrated and stable ghost imaging systems.