title: Effective signal-to-noise ratio improvement by parametric image amplification.
abstract: We show experimentally that parametric optical preamplification greatly improves the signal-to-noise ratio of an image if the detector has a poor quantum efficiency and/or a great level of readout noise. Results are fully consistent with the theory of quantum-noise-limited amplification.
authors.affiliation: Institut Femto-ST, Laboratoire d'Optique P. M. Duffieux, UMR 6174 CNRS/Université de Franche Comté, Besançon, France.
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Devaux
authors.forename: Jean Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Blanchet
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lantz