On Quantum Imaging with Time-Resolving Detector Arrays

Giuseppe Patera, D. B. Horoshko, Mikhail I. Kolobov

Duncan P. Ryan, Paul Moş, Lin Yang +3 more

Abstract Quantum ghost imaging is a method that utilizes the correlated detection of two photons to generate an image. One photon is detected by an imaging sensor and the other by a single-element bucket detector. The selection of the imaging sensor and its capabilities relative to the bucket detector impact the quality of the ghost images. This work examines a SPAD array and a photocathode detector as imaging sensors for quantum ghost imaging. We discuss how to achieve optimal images using these two technologies. We also demonstrate that these devices are able to generate ghost images at 1Hz frame rates, expanding the technique to biologically relevant time scales. Graphical Abstract

Xing-Qu Sun, Weijun Zhang, Chengjun Zhang +7 more

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have attracted remarkable interest for visible and near-infrared single-photon detection due to their outstanding performance. However, conventional SNSPDs are generally used as binary photon-counting detectors. Another important characteristic of light, i.e., polarization, which can provide additional information of the object, has not been resolved using the standalone SNSPD. In this work, we present a first prototype of the polarimeter based on a four-pixel superconducting nanowire array, capable of resolving the polarization state of linearly-polarized light at the single-photon level. The detector array design is based on a division of focal plane configuration in which the orientation of each nanowire division (pixel) is offset by 45°. Each single nanowire pixel operates as a combination of a photon detector and almost linear polarization filter, with an average polarization extinction ratio of ∼10. The total system detection efficiency of the array is ∼1% at a total dark count rate of 680 cps, with a timing jitter of 126 ps, when the detector array is free-space coupled and illuminated with 1550-nm photons. The mean errors of the measured angle of polarization and degree of linear polarization were about -3° and 0.12, respectively. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrated polarization imaging at low-light level using the proposed detector. Our results pave the way for the development of a single-photon sensitive, fast, and large-scale integrated polarization polarimeter or imager. Such detector may find promising application in photon-starved polarization resolving and imaging with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Edoardo Charbon A

Hugo Defienne, Warwick P. Bowen, Maria V. Chekhova +5 more

Federica Villa, Fabio Severini, Francesca Madonini +1 more

Quantum techniques are commonly used to enhance measurement performance in many fields, such as imaging, microscopy, communications, computing and metrology. In quantum imaging and microscopy, entangled photons are exploited to improve image resolution and sensitivity, overcoming the diffraction limit and providing Sub-Shot Noise (SSN) measurements [1] . Super resolution imaging, SSN imaging, quantum-enhanced displacement sensing, correlation plenoptic imaging and ghost imaging are different quantum techniques used to enhance image quality. All them require time-resolved single-photon detectors, capable to detect photon coincidences with sub-nanosecond precision.