The result of detecting in low light level are images with only a small number of photopulses. Only the pixels in which arrive the photopulse have an intensity value different from 0. The work presents an easy procedure for simulating low light level images by taking an standard well illuminated image as a reference. The images so obtained are composed by a few illuniinated pixels on a dark background. The number of illuminated pixels is less than the 1% of the total pixels number, and hence it is difficult to recognize the original object. A procedure for enhancement and recovery the original image is described and applied to low light level images previously simulated. The result is a visual experiment, easy to be performed (using a personal computer and a frame grabber), which state the statistical nature of light.

Date Published: 1 March 1992
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 1603, Education in Optics, (1 March 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.57882

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1603:
Education in Optics
Gregory B. Altshuler; Brian J. Thompson, Editor(s)