Parametric image amplification in optical cavities

Abstract

We show the possibility of noiseless amplification of an optical image in cavities containing a parametric oscillator. We consider a confocal ring cavity with plane mirrors and compare with the case of planar cavity. In the latter case the system operates with severe spatial limitations, while in the confocal case, there is the possibility of preserving the signal-to-noise ratio while amplifying uniformely the entire image.