2008/06/15 by Beata Kardynał, B. E. Kardynal, Z. L. Yuan +2 · 245 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Optical Sensing Technologies #Avalanche diode #Avalanche photodiode #Detector #Optics #Optoelectronics #Photodetector #Photodiode #Photon #Photon counting #Physics #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum mechanics #Quantum optics #Random lasers and scattering media #Single-photon avalanche diode #Voltage #cond-mat.other #physics.ins-det #physics.optics #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/nphoton.2008.101
published in Nature Photonics 2(7), 425-428 (Nature Portfolio) · 12 pages, 4 figures
openalex publication_date 2008/06/15 · arxiv created 2008/07/02 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Avalanche photodiodes are widely used as practical detectors of single photons.1 Although conventional devices respond to one or more photons, they cannot resolve the number in the incident pulse or short time interval. However, such photon number resolving detectors are urgently needed for applications in quantum computing,2-4 communications5 and interferometry,6 as well as for extending the applicability of quantum detection generally. Here we show that, contrary to current belief,3,4 avalanche photodiodes are capable of detecting photon number, using a technique to measure very weak avalanches at the early stage of their development. Under such conditions the output signal from the avalanche photodiode is proportional to the number of photons in the incident pulse. As a compact, mass-manufactured device, operating without cryogens and at telecom wavelengths, it offers a practical solution for photon number detection.