Four-dimensional video imaging via generative deep learning and a diffuser-encoded image sensor

Fuente: arXiv
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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kauss, Max T., Walker, William, Ingold, Alexander, Dammann, Jakob, Majumder, Apratim, Menon, Rajesh
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Kauss, Max T.
Walker, William
Ingold, Alexander
Dammann, Jakob
Majumder, Apratim
Menon, Rajesh
author_facet Kauss, Max T.
Walker, William
Ingold, Alexander
Dammann, Jakob
Majumder, Apratim
Menon, Rajesh
contents Light carries rich information across space, spectrum, polarization, and time, yet conventional cameras capture only a narrow projection of this multidimensional structure. A thin diffuser encodes wavelength-dependent information into single-shot scatterograms, captured by a polarization-resolving CMOS sensor that simultaneously measures four linear polarization states. We use 4DCam to image a live Betta splendens fish, uncovering polarization-dependent color modulations that remain invisible to conventional cameras. We experimentally show that the 4D information encoded in the scatterograms markedly improves material discrimination, achieving 96% accuracy for textile classification and 90% for camouflage detection, compared with 70% and 80%, respectively, using 3D hyperspectral imaging alone. Built entirely from passive optics, 4DCam seamlessly integrates physical encoding, generative decoding, and direct inference, enabling real-time, information-complete optical sensing.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_12162
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Four-dimensional video imaging via generative deep learning and a diffuser-encoded image sensor
Kauss, Max T.
Walker, William
Ingold, Alexander
Dammann, Jakob
Majumder, Apratim
Menon, Rajesh
Optics
Light carries rich information across space, spectrum, polarization, and time, yet conventional cameras capture only a narrow projection of this multidimensional structure. A thin diffuser encodes wavelength-dependent information into single-shot scatterograms, captured by a polarization-resolving CMOS sensor that simultaneously measures four linear polarization states. We use 4DCam to image a live Betta splendens fish, uncovering polarization-dependent color modulations that remain invisible to conventional cameras. We experimentally show that the 4D information encoded in the scatterograms markedly improves material discrimination, achieving 96% accuracy for textile classification and 90% for camouflage detection, compared with 70% and 80%, respectively, using 3D hyperspectral imaging alone. Built entirely from passive optics, 4DCam seamlessly integrates physical encoding, generative decoding, and direct inference, enabling real-time, information-complete optical sensing.
title Four-dimensional video imaging via generative deep learning and a diffuser-encoded image sensor
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12162