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Applied Optics

Measured uncertainty analysis of detection efficiency of single photon detectors with correlated photons calibration

Lin Yin, Youbo Hu, Xiaobing Zheng

Published Jan 19, 2022• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Detection efficiency calibration based on correlated photons is a high precision calibration method at the single photon level. During the calibration process, measured time, photon count rate, and channel detection efficiency are important experimental parameters that affect the measured uncertainty of detection efficiency. This paper constructs simulation models of measured uncertainty with experimental parameters by the correlated photons method. Our experiment measures and predicts the uncertainty when parameters change. This research provides a quantitative basis for experimental parameter settings of calibration of single photon detectors using correlated photons technology.

DOI
10.1364/ao.446149

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Detection efficiency calibration based on correlated photons is a high precision calibration method at the single photon level. During the calibration process, measured time, photon count rate, and channel detection efficiency are important experimental parameters that affect the measured uncertainty of detection efficiency. This paper constructs simulation models of measured uncertainty with experimental parameters by the correlated photons method. Our experiment measures and predicts the uncertainty when parameters change. This research provides a quantitative basis for experimental parameter settings of calibration of single photon detectors using correlated photons technology.
Single photon detectors nowadays are widely used in numerous applications such as quantum cryptography, laser ranging, single molecule spectroscopy and so on. And the calibration of the detection efficiency is quite important for some of the applications. In recent years, researchers find that correlated photon pairs can be employed to calibrate the detection efficiency of single-photon detectors with quite high precision. Firstly, we calibrated the InGaAs single photon detector quantum efficiency at 1550nm by correlated photon pairs. Consistency between the measurement result using correlated photon pairs and the reference value is better than 0.8%. Secondly, the detectors are calibrated with an attenuated laser source. Thirdly, the two methods for measuring the quantum efficiency of single photon detectors, correlated photon pairs and laser attenuation, respectively, are discussed and analyzed in detail. Finally, results derived from the two methods have been compared with each other.
We introduce an experimental setup for measuring the detection efficiency of free-space single-photon detectors with excellent reproducibility and minimized uncertainty . Our analysis extends to account for the wavelength-dependent effects caused by the transmissivity of the optical window in front of the detector’s active area. The proposed approach involves measuring the detector’s response at different wavelengths and comparing it with a calibrated reference detector, enabling precise quantification of efficiency variations due to the optical window. The results provide a detailed understanding of wavelength-dependent efficiency, which is essential for optimizing the performance of single-photon detectors in applications such as quantum communication and photonics research. This characterization technique represents a significant step forward in enhancing the accuracy and reliability of single-photon detection efficiency measurements.
Single-photon detectors are widely used in modern quantum optics experiments and applications. Like all detectors, it is important for these devices to be accurately calibrated. A single-photon detector is calibrated by determining its detection efficiency; the common method to measure this quantity requires comparison to another detector. Here, we suggest a method to measure the detection efficiency of a single-photon detector without requiring an external reference detector. Our method is valid for individual single-photon detectors as well as multiplexed detectors, which are known to be photon number resolving. The method exploits the even-number photon-statistics of a nonlinear source, as well as the nonlinear loss of a single-photon detector that occurs when multiple photons are incident simultaneously. We have analytically modeled multiplexed detectors and used the results to experimentally demonstrate the calibration of a single-photon detector without the need for an external reference detector.
There are two general methods in radiometric calibration of detectors, one is based on radiation sources and the other based on detectors. Because the two methods need to establish a primary standard of high precision and a transfer chain, precision of the standard will be reduced by extension of the chain. A new calibration method of detectors can be realized by using correlated photons generated in spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) effect of nonlinear crystal, without needing transfer chain. Using 351.1-nm output of a tunable laser to pump 'beta'-barium borate (BBO) crystal, an absolute calibration experimental system of single photon detectors based on correlated photons is performed. The quantum efficiency of photomultiplier (PMT) at 702.2 nm is measured by the setup. Advantages of this method over traditional methods are also pointed out by comparison.
Single-photon detectors (SPDs) are ubiquitous in many protocols for quantum imaging, sensing, and communications. Many of these protocols critically depend on the precise knowledge of their detection efficiency. A method for the calibration of SPDs based on sources of quantum-correlated photon pairs uses single-photon detection to generate heralded single photons, which can be used as a standard of radiation at the single-photon level. These heralded photons then allow for precise calibration of SPDs in absolute terms. In this work, we investigate the absolute calibration of avalanche photodiodes based on a portable, commercial bi-photon source, and investigate the effects of multi-photon events from the spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) process in these sources. We show that the multi-photon character of the bi-photon source, together with system losses, has a significant impact on the achievable accuracy for the calibration of SPDs. However, modeling the expected photon counting statistics from the squeezed vacuum in the SPDC process allows for accurate estimation of the efficiency of SPDs, assuming that the system losses are known. This study provides essential information for the design and optimization of portable bi-photon sources for their application in on-site calibration of SPDs with high accuracy, without requiring any other reference standard.
Single-photon detectors are a pivotal component in photonic quantum technologies. A precise and comprehensive calibration of the inherent detection efficiency is of utmost importance to ensure the proper evaluation of the performance in view of the specific technological application of interest, such as the protection against security breaches in quantum cryptographic solutions. Here we report on a systematic study and comprehensive analysis of the estimation of the inherent detection efficiency of two commercial single-photon detectors based on single-photon avalanche diodes for various mean photon numbers and at high laser pulse repetition rates using different techniques. We observe an unexpected and significant drop in the inherent detection efficiency at detection rates of 10% and higher relative to the maximum detection rate. It is demonstrated that for data analysis a statistical model for the detection rate conveniently can be used if no time-stamped data are available. We conclude that the full characterization of single-photon detectors used in critical applications should include the sensitivity of their inherent detection efficiency to high event rates.