Abstract

Imaging at the level of single photons is crucial in many application areas but, due detector technology, is largely restricted to the visible region of the spectrum. We present a full-field homodyne imaging system capable of imaging in the single-photon per image pixel regime operating in the short-wave infrared, despite the camera used having a noise floor ≈200 times higher. This approach is inspired by Gabor’s “Observation without Illumination” paradox¹ and whilst having much in common with holographic interference microscopes², our approach extends the range of applications of low-light imaging, in biological, medical, and potentially covert imaging.

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