Three dimensional computational imaging with single-pixel detectors

Computational imaging with single-pixel detectors utilises spatial correlation of light to obtain images. A series of structured illumination is generated using a spatial light modulator to encode the spatial information of an object. The encoded object images are recorded as total intensities with no spatial information by a single-pixel detector. These intensities are then sent to correlate with their corresponding illumination structures to derive an image. This correlation imaging method was first recognised as a quantum imaging technique called ghost imaging (GI) in 1995. Quantum GI uses the spatial correlation of entangled photon pairs to form images and was later demonstrated also by using classical correlated light beams. In 2008, an adaptive classical GI system called computational GI which employed a spatial light modulator and a single-pixel detector was proposed. Since its proposal, this computational imaging technique received intensive interest for this potential application. The aim of the work in this thesis was to improve this new imaging technique into a more applicable stage. Our contribution mainly includes three aspects. First an advanced reconstruction algorithm called normalised ghost imaging was developed to improve the correlation efficiency. By normalising the object intensity with a reference beam, the reconstruction single-to-noise ratio can be increased, especially for a more transmissive object. In the second work, a computational imaging scheme adapted from computational GI was designed by using a digital light projector for structured illumination. Compared to a conventional computational GI system, the adaptive system improved the reconstruction efficiency significantly. And for the first time, correlation imaging using structured illumination and single-pixel detection was able to image a 3 dimensional reflective object with reasonable details. By using several single-pixel detectors, the system was able to retrieve the 3 dimensional profile of the object. In the last work, effort was devoted to increase the reconstruction speed of the single-pixel imaging technique, and a fast computational imaging system was built up to generate real-time single-pixel videos