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  • Open Access

Quantum imaging with positronium-decay-emitted gamma rays

Alayna Schneider*,†

Ryan Mahon‡, Justin Goodrich§, and Joseph Hanrahan

Sean Stoll∥

Cinzia Da Via¶,**

  • *Contact author: arschnei@umich.edu
  • †Also at National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA.
  • ‡Contact author: rmahon@bnl.gov
  • §Contact author: jgoodrich@bnl.gov
  • ∥Contact author: stoll@bnl.gov
  • Contact author: cinzia.davia@stonybrook.edu
  • **Also at Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, England, UK.
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Phys. Rev. A 113, 013715 – Published 9 January, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/srl4-t5hl

Abstract

The use of entangled gamma rays from positronium decay for quantum-enhanced imaging of dense materials is demonstrated. Quantum ghost images, where only one of the entangled 511-keV photons interacts with the object, are obtained for tantalum samples of varying density using a 210-ps time-resolution dual detector system and a Na-22 positron source. An analysis comparing both classical and quantum imaging modalities is employed to isolate true 511-keV events from background noise. Image quality is quantitatively assessed using transmission ratios and the Michelson contrast. Quantum-correlated images are found to exhibit superior (up to approximately 1.7x, from 0.49 to 0.83 in the thickest sample measured) contrast compared to classical methods and align well with theoretical expectations. These results suggest that quantum ghost imaging with positronium-based entangled gamma rays could significantly enhance noninvasive imaging of high-density objects, with potential applications in areas such as cargo inspection and security screening.

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Phys. Rev. A 113, 013715– Published 9 January, 2026
  • Received 14 July 2025
  • Accepted 26 November 2025
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