We present a technique for squeezed light detection based on direct imaging of the displacedsqueezed-vacuum state using a CCD camera. We show that the squeezing parameter can be accurately estimated using only the first two moments of the recorded pixel-to-pixel photon fluctuation statistics, with accuracy that rivals that of the standard squeezing detection methods such as a balanced homodyne detection. Finally, we numerically simulate the camera operation, reproducing the noisy experimental results with low signal samplings and confirming the theory with high signal samplings.

A semiclassical approach that incorporates quantum mechanical behavior of heat capacity in direct caloric effect simulations is proposed. Application of this methodology to study electrocaloric effect in prototypical ferroelectrics ${ \rm PbTiO_3 }$, and ${ \rm BaTiO_3 }$, reveals severe underestimation of electrocaloric response at lowest temperatures by classical simulations. The discrepancy between semiclassical and classical results are found to be largest in ferroics with Debye temperature exceeding the Curie point. A route to enhance electrocaloric effect by tuning the Debye temperature in composite materials is proposed

This paper experimentally demonstrates an imaging technique based on quadrature noise modification after interaction with an opaque object. By using a homodyne‐like detection scheme, the detrimental effect of the camera dark noise is eliminated, making this approach particularly attractive for imaging scenarios which require weak illumination. As an example, the image of an object illuminated with a squeezed vacuum is reconstructed using a total of 800 probing photons, utilizing less than one photon per frame on average.