X-ray-to-NIR multi-wavelength imaging through stochastic photoluminescence and compressed encoding

Multi-wavelength imaging is crucial for gaining detailed insights into the multi-depth or multi-wavelength information present in the scenes. However, conventional methods often have limitations, like costly and bulky components restricted to specific wavelength ranges. Here, we introduce an imaging technique named “stochastic photoluminescence and compressed encoding,” or SPACE. SPACE leverages randomly arrayed lanthanide transducers as photonic encoders to capture various excitation wavelengths in a single image, recorded by a charge-coupled device. This approach enables the reconstruction of multiple scenes from this encoded image across four wavelength channels: X-rays (0.089 nm), ultraviolet (375 nm), and two near-infrared bands (808 and 1,532 nm), with the ability to expand to more channels through multi-layer encoders. SPACE enables multi-channel imaging for depth visualization and multi-spectral X-ray analysis, offering broad multi-spectral sensitivity and on-chip compatibility. This makes it a versatile tool for applications in materials characterization, bioimaging, remote sensing, and astronomy.