Measurement of Sub-Shot-Noise Correlations of Spatial Fluctuations in the Photon-Counting Regime

We have measured sub-shot-noise quantum correlations of spatial fluctuations in the far-field image of the parametric fluorescence created in a type I beta-barium-borate nonlinear crystal. Imaging is performed at very low light level (0.15 photons per pixel) with an electron multiplying charge coupled device camera. Experimental results overcome the standard quantum limit shot-noise level without subtraction of the variance of the detection noise.