1Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Shanghai, China
2Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Physics and Astronomy, MOE Key Laboratory for Laser Plasmas and Collaborative Innovation Center of IFSA, Shanghai, China
3Jiangnan University, School of Science, Wuxi, China
Abbe’s resolution limit, one of the best-known physical limitations, poses a great challenge for any wave system in imaging, wave transport, and dynamics. Originally formulated in linear optics, the Abbe limit can be broken using nonlinear optical interactions. We extend the Abbe theory into a nonlinear regime and experimentally demonstrate a far-field, label-free, and scan-free super-resolution imaging technique based on nonlinear four-wave mixing to retrieve near-field scattered evanescent waves, achieving a sub-wavelength resolution of λ / 5.6. This method paves the way for numerous new applications in biomedical imaging, semiconductor metrology, and photolithography.