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QUANTUM IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
QUANTUM IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
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Gabriele BIZZARRI 1, Assunta DI VIZIO 1, Matteo ROSATI 2, Ilaria GIANANI 1, Marco BARBIERI 1, 3, *
1
Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Informatica e delle Tecnologie Aeronautiche, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
3
Istituto Nazionale di Ottica – CNR, Florence, Italy * marco. barbieri @ uniroma3. it
The evolving understanding of the limits of human visual perception has advanced the development of optical devices that not only correct visual defects but also help manage changes in certain eye structures. As modern optical technologies allow precise control of the quantum properties of light, recent endeavours have started testing the quantum capabilities of human eye perception, proving that they can detect single photons. This paves the way for the application of quantum metrology and cryptography to medical imaging, with potential increase in precision and security. https:// doi. org / 10.1051 / photon / 202513154
Vision is the primary means for exploring the world. In the animal kingdom, we observe a variety of eye systems as different as the segment eye of insects, to the complex arrangements of some crustaceans [ 1 ]. In comparison, the human eye appears as a fairly simple system, with its three kinds of cones for colour vision, and its high density of receptors in the central fovea for spatial resolution. Yet, despite millennia of scrutiny, its structure and functions keep revealing unexpected subtleties. For instance, the peripheral retina is now held responsible for driving a feedback mechanism for the axial eye growth. Based on this hypothesis, improved corrections of myopia in young individuals have been realised, slowing its progression [ 2 ].
This demonstrates how a deeper scientific understanding of the eye can have profound implications for health and well-being. This has been made possible, until now, by steady technological progress that has resulted in novel instruments for diagnostics and analysis. Thanks to the efforts invested in enhancing imaging tools, we can now depend on fundus cameras, corneal topographers, and ocular aberrometers, to name a few, for the benefit of eye health and visual comfort. The current frontier in optical systems is beginning to expand its reach beyond issues in classical optics, exploring quantum aspects [ 3 ]. Advancements made in the last three decades now enable us to control light at the quantum level, including the ability to produce single photons with finely tuned spectral, temporal, and spatial properties.
These observations raise the question of whether quantum photonics can offer solutions for examining the eye, possibly down to the single photon level. We review results that establish this as a viable option, although with plenty of stimulating challenges ahead.
54 www. photoniques. com I Photoniques 131