Nonlocal Talbot self-imaging with incoherent light

Abstract

We report a demonstration of nonlocal second-order correlation Talbot effects with incoherent thermal light in a lensless setup containing two optical paths. Self-images of the periodic object, including fractional and phase-reversal Talbot images, are observed at specific distances, in agreement with the theoretical analysis. It is also found that the image quality can be greatly enhanced when higher-order correlations are taken.