Low-Light Shadow Imaging using Quantum-Noise Detection with a Camera

TL;DR

This paper presents a quantum noise-based imaging method that enables high-quality shadow images with extremely low photon counts, suitable for weak illumination scenarios.

Contribution

The authors demonstrate a novel quantum noise detection technique that reconstructs images with fewer than one photon per frame, reducing the impact of camera noise in low-light imaging.

Findings

Successful imaging with less than one photon per frame

Elimination of dark noise effects in quantum noise detection

Effective imaging of objects under extremely low illumination

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate an imaging technique based on quantum noise modification after interaction with an opaque object. By using a homodyne-like detection scheme, we eliminate the detrimental effect of the camera's dark noise, making this approach particularly attractive for imaging scenarios that require weak illumination. Here, we reconstruct the image of an object illuminated with a squeezed vacuum using a total of 800 photons, utilizing less than one photon per frame on average.