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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Enhanced Thermal Images of Faint Objects via Photon Addition / Subtraction

Claudio G. Parazzoli, Barbara A. Capron, Benjamin E. C. Koltenbah, David R. Gerwe, Paul S. Idell, Jonathan P. Dowling, Christopher C. Gerry, Robert W. Boyd

Published Jan 1, 2016• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We strongly increased the Signal to Noise Ratio in a long-baseline interferometer by adding/subtracting photons to the thermal beam. Simulations show this approach achieves significantly enhanced image resolution. The concept is validated by experiments.
DOI
10.1364/cleo_qels.2016.ftu3c.4

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Long-baseline interferometry (LBI) is used to reconstruct the image of faint thermal objects. The image quality, for a given exposure time, is in general limited by a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We show theoretically that a significant increase of the SNR, in a LBI, is possible by adding or subtracting photons to the thermal beam. At low photon counts, photon addition-subtraction technology strongly enhances the image quality. We have experimentally realized a nondeterministic physical protocol for photon subtraction. Our theoretical predictions are supported by experimental results.
Long-baseline interferometry (LBI) is used to reconstruct the image of faint thermal objects. The image quality, for a given exposure time, is in general limited by a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We show theoretically that a significant increase of the SNR, in a LBI, is possible by adding or subtracting photons to the thermal beam. At low photon counts, photon addition-subtraction technology strongly enhances the image quality. We have experimentally realized a nondeterministic physical protocol for photon subtraction. Our theoretical predictions are supported by experimental results.
We propose and implement a quantum procedure for enhancing the sensitivity with which one can determine the phase shift experienced by a weak light beam possessing thermal statistics in passing through an interferometer. Our procedure entails subtracting exactly one (which can be generalized to m) photons from the light field exiting an interferometer containing a phase-shifting element in one of its arms. As a consequence of the process of photon subtraction, and somewhat surprisingly, the mean photon number and signal-to-noise ratio of the resulting light field are thereby increased, leading to enhanced interferometry. This method can be used to increase measurement sensitivity in a variety of practical applications, including that of forming the image of an object illuminated only by weak thermal light.