Wavefront shaping is a key technique for mitigating scattering in complex media, enabling advanced imaging and optical communication. Yet existing approaches are inherently local, requiring active correction elements - such as spatial light modulators or deformable mirrors - to lie directly in the optical path of the scattered light, which limits their integration into compact imaging systems. Here, we experimentally demonstrate nonlocal wavefront shaping using spatially entangled photon pairs. By applying a phase correction to a photon that never interacts with the scattering medium, we compensate for the distortions experienced by its entangled partner and restore their initial spatial correlations. Our approach physically decouples the wavefront correction from the scattering medium, paving the way for imaging through complex media in compact and otherwise inaccessible systems.

Wavefront shaping is a crucial technique in optics, traditionally used to correct aberrations and scattering that an optical beam may encounter along its propagation path [1], [2]. In a conventional wavefront shaping architecture, the optical signal passes through the complex medium, and an aberration correction device - typically a spatial light modulator (SLM) - is positioned along the same optical path (Figure 1a). One challenge of this approach is to properly integrate the SLM into the optical system to efficiently correct aberrations by developing suitable algorithms. To overcome this challenge, and also explore a new avenue in optical wavefront control, we developed a non-local wavefront shaping approach using entangled photons (Figure 1b). This approach decouples the wavefront shaping from the system containing the aberrations, enabling the development of new correction algorithms that may surpass existing methods and opening up new possibilities for applications in communication and imaging.

Over the last 50 years entangled photon pairs have received attention for use in lowering the flux in two-photon absorption imaging and spectroscopy. Despite this, evidence for entangled two-photon absorption (ETPA) effects remain highly debated, especially at low-fluxes. Here, we structure the transverse spatial correlations of entangled photon pairs to evidence signs of ETPA at room-temperature in organic and inorganic chromophores, in the low-flux regime. We demonstrate our scheme to be robust to common artifacts that have previously hampered detection of ETPA such as linear absorption and background fluorescence, and show that ETPA scales with transverse correlation area and chromophore two-photon cross-sections. Our results present a step towards verifying ETPA and experimentally exploring entangled light-matter interactions.

Quantum imaging enhances imaging systems performance, potentially surpassing fundamental limits such as noise and resolution. However, these schemes have limitations and are still a long way from replacing classical techniques. Therefore, there is a strong focus on improving the practicality of quantum imaging methods, with the goal of finding real-world applications. With this in mind, in this tutorial we describe how the concepts of classical light shaping can be applied to imaging schemes based on entangled photon pairs. We detail two basic experimental configurations in which a spatial light modulator is used to shape the spatial correlations of a photon pair state and highlight the key differences between this and classical shaping. We then showcase two recent examples that expand on these concepts to perform aberration and scattering correction with photon pairs. We include specific details on the key steps of these experiments, with the goal that this can be used as a guide for building photon-pair-based imaging and shaping experiments.

Adaptive optics (AO) has revolutionized imaging in fields from astronomy to microscopy by correcting optical aberrations. In label-free microscopes, however, conventional AO faces limitations because of the absence of a guide star and the need to select an optimization metric specific to the sample and imaging process. Here, we propose an AO approach leveraging correlations between entangled photons to directly correct the point spread function. This guide star–free method is independent of the specimen and imaging modality. We demonstrate the imaging of biological samples in the presence of aberrations using a bright-field imaging setup operating with a source of spatially entangled photon pairs. Our approach performs better than conventional AO in correcting specific aberrations, particularly those involving substantial defocus. Our work improves AO for label-free microscopy and could play a major role in the development of quantum microscopes.

High-dimensional entangled quantum states improve the performance of quantum technologies compared to qubit-based approaches. In particular, they enable quantum communications with higher information capacities or enhanced imaging protocols. However, the presence of optical disorder such as atmospheric turbulence or biological tissue perturb quantum state propagation and hinder their practical use. Here, we demonstrate a wavefront shaping approach to transmit high-dimensional spatially entangled photon pairs through scattering media. Using a transmission matrix approach, we perform wavefront correction in the classical domain using an intense classical beam as a beacon to compensate for the disturbances suffered by a co propagating beam of entangled photons. Through violation of an Einstein-Podolski-Rosen criterion by $988$ sigma, we show the presence of entanglement after the medium. Furthermore, we certify an entanglement dimensionality of $17$. This work paves the way towards manipulation and transport of entanglement through scattering media, with potential applications in quantum microscopy and quantum key distribution.

Adaptive optics (AO) has revolutionized imaging in {fields} from astronomy to microscopy by correcting optical aberrations. In label-free microscopes, however, conventional AO faces limitations due to the absence of guidestar and the need to select an optimization metric specific to the sample and imaging process. Here, we propose an AO approach leveraging correlations between entangled photons to directly correct the point spread function (PSF). This guidestar-free method is independent of the specimen and imaging modality. We demonstrate the imaging of biological samples in the presence of aberrations using a bright-field imaging setup operating with a source of spatially-entangled photon pairs. Our approach performs better than conventional AO in correcting specific aberrations, particularly those involving significant defocus. Our work improves AO for label-free microscopy and could play a major role in the development of quantum microscopes.

Pixelation occurs in many imaging systems and limits the spatial resolution of the acquired images. This effect is notably present in quantum imaging experiments with correlated photons in which the number of pixels used to detect coincidences is often limited by the sensor technology or the acquisition speed. Here, we introduce a pixel super-resolution technique based on measuring the full spatially-resolved joint probability distribution (JPD) of spatially-entangled photons. Without shifting optical elements or using prior information, our technique increases the pixel resolution of the imaging system by a factor two and enables retrieval of spatial information lost due to undersampling. We demonstrate its use in various quantum imaging protocols using photon pairs, including quantum illumination, entanglement-enabled quantum holography, and in a full-field version of N00N-state quantum holography. The JPD pixel super-resolution technique can benefit any full-field imaging system limited by the sensor spatial resolution, including all already established and future photon-correlation-based quantum imaging schemes, bringing these techniques closer to real-world applications.

Performance of sensorless adaptive optics strongly relies on the choice of an adequate image metric. Illumination with photon pairs provides direct access to the PSF of the system, allowing for efficient optimisation for aberration correction.