High-precision angle measurement of pulsars is critical for realizing pulsar navigation. Compared to visible light and radio waves, the wavelength of X-rays is incredibly short, which provides the possibility of achieving better spatial resolution. However, due to the lack of applicable X-ray apparatus, extracting the angle information of pulsars through conventional X-ray methods is challenging. Here, we propose an approach of pulsar angle measurement based on spatially modulated X-ray intensity correlation (SMXIC), in which the angle information is obtained by measuring the spatial intensity correlation between two radiation fields. The theoretical model for this method has been established, and a proof-of-concept experiment was carried out. The SMXIC measurement of observing angles has been demonstrated, and the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical values. The potential of this method in future applications is discussed, and theoretically, the angular measurement at the level of micro-arcsecond can be expected. The sphere of pulsar navigation may benefit from our fresh insights.

Snapshot spectral ghost imaging, which can acquire dynamic spectral imaging information in the field of view, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Studies have shown that optimizing the fluctuation of light fields is essential for improving the sampling efficiency and reconstruction quality of ghost imaging. However, the optimization of broadband light fields in snapshot spectral ghost imaging is challenging because of the dispersion of the modulation device. In this study, by judiciously introducing a hybrid refraction/diffraction structure into the light-field modulation, snapshot spectral ghost imaging with broadband super-Rayleigh speckles was demonstrated. The simulation and experiment results verified that the contrast of speckles in a broad range of wavelengths was significantly improved, and the imaging system had superior noise immunity.