Quantum Calibration of Photon-Number-Resolving Detectors Based on Multi-Pixel Photon Counters

Abstract

In this paper, we reconstructed the positive operator-valued measure (POVM) of a photon-number-resolving detector (PNRD) based on a multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) by means of quantum detector tomography (QDT) at 791 nm and 523 nm, respectively. MPPC is a kind of spatial-multiplexing PNRD with a silicon avalanche photodiode (Si-APD) array as the photon receiver. Experimentally, the quantum characteristics of MPPC were calibrated at 2 MHz at two different wavelengths. The POVM elements were given by QDT. The fidelity of the reconstructed POVM elements is higher than 99.96%, which testifies that the QDT is reliable to calibrate MPPC at different wavelengths. With QDT and associated Wigner functions, the quantum properties of MPPC can be calibrated more directly and accurately in contrast with those conventional methods of modeling detectors.

Single photon detection system for visible and infrared spectrum range

“…Although the detection efficiencies of SPAD-based detectors is around 50% [100,104], they may feature the cross-talk effect, in which the neighbouring pixels create additional dark counts due to the thermal instabilities [89]. In site of this fact, the main advantage of such detectors is that they usually operate in room temperatures.…”

Quantum characteristics and applications of multi‐pixel photon counter

“…. 20 Recently, QDT has been successfully applied to the MPPC with the attenuated pulsed laser at 791 and 523 nm 21 and with the continuous wave laser at 650 nm. 22 As Figure 2 shown, the photon detection probability distributions stimulated by the reconstructed POVM elements are in good agreement with the experimental data of QDT.…”

Do photon-number-resolving detectors provide valid evidence for the discrete nature of light?

“…In this work, we focus on the following most utilized PNR detector architectures: visible light photon counters (VLPCs) [24][25][26][27][28], transition edge sensors (TESs) [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40], superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) [41][42][43][44][45][46][47], and a class of noncryogenic detectors (NCDs) of which the following three general subtypes exist: beam splitter single photon detectors (BS-SPDs) [48][49][50], [51], and spatially [52][53][54][55][56] or temporally [57] multiplexed designs. In addition, unique PNR detector designs also exist [58][59][60].…”