Near single-photon imaging in the shortwave infrared using homodyne detection

O. Wolley, S. Mekhail, P. A. Moreau, T. Gregory, G. Gibson, G. Leuchs, M. J. Padgett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Low-light imaging is challenging in regimes where low-noise detectors are not yet available. One such regime is the shortwave infrared where even the best multipixel detector arrays typically have a noise floor in excess of 100 photons per pixel per frame. We present a homodyne imaging system capable of recovering both intensity and phase images of an object from a single frame despite an illumination intensity of ≈ 1 photon per pixel. We interfere this weak signal which is below the noise floor of the detector with a reference beam that is ∼ 300, 000 times brighter, record the resulting interference pattern in the spatial domain on a detector array, and use Fourier techniques to extract the intensity and phase images. We believe our approach could vastly extend the range of applications for low-light imaging by accessing domains where low-noise cameras are not currently available and for which low-intensity illumination is required.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2216678120
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume120
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023 Mar 7

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Near single-photon imaging in the shortwave infrared using homodyne detection'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this