Frame-filtered ghost imaging with a SPAD array used both as a multiple “bucket” detector and an imaging camera

An approach to ghost imaging with a single SPAD array used simultaneously as a several-pixel “bucket” detector and an imaging camera is described. The key points of the approach are filtering data frames used for ghost-image reconstruction by the number of per-frame counts and superposing correlation images obtained for different “bucket” pixels. The imaging is performed in an experiment with a pseudo-thermal light source where the light intensity is so low that the dark counts have a noticeable effect on imaging. We demonstrate that the approach is capable of significantly reducing the destructive effect of dark counts on the ghost image and improving image contrast, spatial resolution, and image similarity to a reference image.