Review of a Bewildering Classical–Quantum Phenomenon: Ghost Imaging

A comprehensive review of Ghost Imaging is given, presenting detailed analyses of its resolution, field of view, visibility, image contrast, and signal-to-noise ratio behavior, as well as analytic results, emphasizing the underlying physics of ghost imaging. Three different illumination modes are analyzed: thermal state (classical), biphoton state (quantum), and classical state phase sensitive light. The latter state is the classical Gaussian state that produces ghost images which most closely mimic those obtained from biphoton illumination. Furthermore, Ghost Imaging, in connection with turbulence, phase objects, spectral-temporal and spatial correlations as well as computational ghost imaging, is analyzed.