2008/05/15 by Eric A. Dauler, Andrew J. Kerman, Bryan S. Robinson +7 · 121 citations
Computer Science · Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Characterization (materials science) #Detector #Diamond and Carbon-based Materials Research #Nanowire #Photocathodes and Microchannel Plates #Photon #Photon counting #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Resolution (logic) #Single-photon source #Superconductivity #physics.ins-det #physics.optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/09500340802411989
published in Journal of Modern Optics 56(2-3), 364-373 (Taylor & Francis) · 13 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2008/05/15 · openalex publication_date 2009/01/16 · arxiv updated 2015/05/12 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
A photon-number-resolving detector based on a four-element superconducting nanowire single photon detector is demonstrated to have sub-30-ps resolution in measuring the arrival time of individual photons. This detector can be used to characterise the photon statistics of non-pulsed light sources and to mitigate dead-time effects in high-speed photon counting applications. Furthermore, a 25% system detection efficiency at 1550 nm was demonstrated, making the detector useful for both low-flux source characterization and high-speed photon counting and quantum communication applications. The design, fabrication, and testing of this detector are described, and a comparison between the measured and the theoretical performance is presented.