Computational optical imaging with a photonic lantern

This is the final version. Available on open access from Nature Research via the DOI in this recordData availability: Raw data will be made available through the Heriot-Watt University PURE research data management system. https://doi.org/10.17861/a1bebd55-b44f-4b34-82c0-c0fe925762c6Code availability: A MATLAB toolbox gathering the algorithm implementation as well as the data necessary to reproduce our simulations results using the USAF resolution target is available on GitHub at https://basp-group.github.io/SARA-COIL/The thin and flexible nature of optical fibres often makes them the ideal technology to view biological processes in-vivo, but current microendoscopic approaches are limited in spatial resolution. Here, we demonstrate a route to high resolution microendoscopy using a multicore fibre (MCF) with an adiabatic multimode-to-single-mode “photonic lantern” transition formed at the distal end by tapering. We show that distinct multimode patterns of light can be projected from the output of the lantern by individually exciting the single-mode MCF cores, and that these patterns are highly stable to fibre movement. This capability is then exploited to demonstrate a form of single-pixel imaging, where a single pixel detector is used to detect the fraction of light transmitted through the object for each multimode pattern. A custom computational imaging algorithm we call SARA-COIL is used to reconstruct the object using only the pre-measured multimode patterns themselves and the detector signals.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaRoyal Academy of Engineering (RAE)European Research Council (ERC