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

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.