Quantum-inspired computational wavefront shaping enables turbulence-resilient distributed aperture synthesis imaging

Inspired by quantum nonlocal aberration cancellation, the method proposes
a computational wavefront shaping (CWS) approach to address the heavy
hardware demands of correcting complex aberrations in optical imaging. By
exploiting classical correlated light, CWS digitally corrects aberrations
on the signal path by introducing a virtual wavefront corrector during the
computational propagation of a reference field, entirely bypassing the
need for physical corrective elements. The optimal correction is
determined by optimizing a image sharpness metric of the computationally
reconstructed image, rather than using physical wavefront sensors or
interferometric detection. This closed-loop process—encompassing
aberration characterization, wavefront correction, and image
reconstruction—is performed computationally using only a single pixel
detector, thereby significantly relaxing hardware requirements.
Experimental results (In this dataset ZIP file) confirmed that CWS
effectively restores image quality under various aberration conditions. In
the proof of principle experiments of CWS(In "Fig 3" file),
strong aberrations were introduced as a random phase screen to simulate
highly complex scattering media. Diffraction-limited image can be obtained
under the guidance of image gradient sharpness metric. In the
DASI(distributed aperture synthesis imaging) configuration(In "Fig
4" file), high-resolution image was computationally recovered without
co-phasing or adaptive optics. Compared to conventional imaging and
correction methods, CWS shifts the burden of wavefront shaping from
hardware to the computational domain. This approach is particularly
advantageous given rapidly advancing computing power and algorithms,
showing significant promise for applications ranging from biomedical
imaging to standoff atmospheric sensing. These findings not only validate
the physical principles of CWS but also demonstrate its practical
potential in complex optical environments.