  The nature of light sources is defined by the statistical fluctuations of the
electromagnetic field. As such, the photon statistics of light sources are
typically associated with distinct emitters. Here, we demonstrate the
possibility of producing light beams with various photon statistics through the
spatial modulation of coherent light. This is achieved by the sequential
encoding of controllable Kolmogorov phase screens in a digital micromirror
device. Interestingly, the flexibility of our scheme allows for the arbitrary
shaping of spatial light modes with engineered photon statistics at different
spatial positions. The performance of our scheme is assessed through the
photon-number-resolving characterization of different families of spatial light
modes with engineered photon statistics. We believe that the possibility of
controlling the photon fluctuations of the light field at arbitrary spatial
locations has important implications for quantum spectroscopy, sensing, and
imaging.
