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.