High Sensitivity Active Imaging at 2 μm Using Upconversion Detection

Upconversion detection is a promising way to overcome limitations of infrared sensors in terms of sensitivity and noise [1]. Non-linear properties of the conversion - energy conservation and phase matching condition - are especially well suited for active imaging applications [2], [3]. In this work, we present an active imaging system at 2 μm using an upconversion detection scheme to detect the infrared light with a low noise visible camera and using a single double-pulsed fiber laser. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of an upconversion imaging system at 2 μm of outdoor scenes.