Subwavelength Fourier-transform imaging without a lens or a beamsplitter

The fourier-transform patterns of an object are usually observed in the far-field region or obtained in the near-field region with the help of lenses. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate a scheme of Fourier-transform patterns in the Fresnel diffraction region with thermal light. In this scheme, neither a lens nor a beamsplitter is used, and only one single charge coupled device (CCD) is employed. It means that dividing one beam out of a light source into signal and reference beams is not as necessary as the one done by the use of a beamsplitter in usual ghost interference experiments. Moreover, the coincidence measurement of two point detectors is not necessary and data recorded on a single CCD are sufficient for reconstructing the ghost diffraction patterns. The feature of the scheme promises a great potential application in the fields of X-ray and neutron diffraction imaging processes.