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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Detecting femtowatt with lasers

Laurent R. Gabet, Guy Michel Stéphan, Pascal Besnard

Published Dec 15, 2000• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We show that lasers can be used as detectors. The experimental set-up consists in optically injecting a slave laser with a laser whose linewidth is smaller. Heterodyne technique allows us to detect signals as small as -1 17 dBm or 0.2 photon per correlation time. We explain the experiment by interpreting the laser as a nonlinear amplifier and filter.

DOI
10.1117/12.406311

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We show that lasers can be used as detectors. The experimental set-up consists in optically injecting a slave laser with a laser whose linewidth is smaller. Heterodyne technique allows us to detect signals as small as -1 17 dBm or 0.2 photon per correlation time. We explain the experiment by interpreting the laser as a nonlinear amplifier and filter.
Achievement of the ultimate sensitivity along with a high spectral resolution is one of the frequently addressed problems, as the complication of the applied and fundamental scientific tasks being explored is growing up gradually. In our work, we have investigated performance of a superconducting nanowire photon-counting detector operating in the coherent mode for detection of weak signals at the telecommunication wavelength. Quantum-noise limited sensitivity of the detector was ensured by the nature of the photon-counting detection and restricted by the quantum efficiency of the detector only. Spectral resolution given by the heterodyne technique and was defined by the linewidth and stability of the Local Oscillator (LO). Response bandwidth was found to coincide with the detector’s pulse width, which, in turn, could be controlled by the nanowire length. In addition, the system noise bandwidth was shown to be governed by the electronics/lab equipment, and the detector noise bandwidth is predicted to depend on its jitter. As have been demonstrated, a very small amount of the LO power (of the order of a few picowatts down to hundreds of femtowatts) was required for sufficient detection of the test signal, and eventual optimization could lead to further reduction of the LO power required, which would perfectly suit for the foreseen development of receiver matrices and the need for detection of ultra-low signals at a level of less-than-one-photon per second.
After reviewing recent work on multiphoton direct detection and single-photon heterodyne detection, we examine the behavior of a multiphoton absorption heterodyne receiver. Expressions are obtained for the detector response, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and minimum detectable power for a number of cases of interest. Receiver performance is found to depend on the higher order correlation functions of the radiation field and on the local oscillator (LO) irradiance. Although performance similar to that of the single-photon heterodyne receiver can theoretically be achieved, practical problems would appear to make this difficult. A physical interpretation of the process in terms of the absorption of monochromatic and nonmonochromatic photons is given. The double-quantum case is treated in particular detail; the results of a preliminary experiment are presented and suggestions for future experiments are provided.
If a light signal is passed into the resonant cavity of an actively oscillating injection laser, an electrical signal at the difference between the laser and light signal frequencies flows through the wire supplying the DC bias to the laser. A small-signal analysis of heterodyne detection with such a laser oscillator that is based solely on rate equations and introduces the externally applied signal as a source term into the photon rate equation is discussed. Since neither Maxwell's equations nor the wave equation are involved, this analysis is deemed simpler and more transparent than that reported earlier. Gain saturation of the active medium of the laser, which is responsible for broadening of the relaxation resonance, is taken into account.
Traditional photon detectors are operated in the direct detection mode, counting incident photons with a known quantum efficiency. Here, we have investigated a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) operated as a photon counting mixer at telecommunication wavelength around 1.5 μm. This regime of operation combines excellent sensitivity of a photon counting detector with excellent spectral resolution given by the heterodyne technique. Advantageously, we have found that low local oscillator (LO) power of the order of hundreds of femtowatts to a few picowatts is sufficient for clear observation of the incident test signal with the sensitivity approaching the quantum limit. With further optimization, the required LO power could be significantly reduced, which is promising for many practical applications, such as the development of receiver matrices or recording ultralow signals at a level of less-than-one-photon per second. In addition to a traditional NbN-based SNSPD operated with normal incidence coupling, we also use detectors with a travelling wave geometry, where a NbN nanowire is placed on the top of a Si3N4nanophotonic waveguide. This approach is fully scalable and a large number of devices could be integrated on a single chip.