Highly sensitive projection system with a four-wave phase-conjugating mirror and an optical quantum amplifier

An investigation was made of the feasibility of reaching the quantum limit of the sensitivity of a projection system with a brightness amplifier, including a laser amplifier and a phase-conjugating mirror. A sensitivity of about 5 photons per resolution element was achieved in the near infrared (λ = 1.06 μm) when the number of elements in the field of view was ~ 350 X 350.