A scheme for amplification and discrimination of photons

A scheme for exploring photon number amplification and discrimination is presented based on the interaction of a large number of two-level atoms with a single mode radiation field. The fact that the total number of photons and atoms in the excited states is a constant under time evolution in Dicke model is exploited to rearrange the atom-photon numbers. Three significant predictions emerge from our study: Threshold time for initial exposure to photons, time of perception (time of maximum detection probability), and discrimination of first few photon states.