Three-dimensional microscopic single-pixel imaging with chaotic light

Three-dimensional (3D) microscopic imaging is fundamentally important for microscale observations and manipulations. Here, we show that single-pixel imaging (SPI) is available for realizing superior 3D microscopic imaging, which relies on the near-field illumination with chaotic light. Like considering a two-point object to investigate two-dimensional microscopic imaging, we theoretically and experimentally studied the image formation process for a 3D object with two slices, demonstrating the excellent capability of the SPI for 3D microscopic imaging. The proposed 3D microscopic imaging via SPI would be useful for applications such as biological imaging and micromanipulations.