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arXiv · 1711.03594

Absolute self-calibration of single-photon and multiplexed photon-number-resolving detectors

Lior Cohen·Yehuda Pilnyak·Daniel Istrati·Nicholas M. Studer·Jonathan P. Dowling·Hagai S. Eisenberg
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Abstract

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 standard 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 photon-number correlations of a nonlinear source, as well as the nonlinear loss of a single photon detector that occurs when multiple photons are detected simultaneously. We have analytically modeled multiplexed detectors and used the results to experimentally demonstrate calibration of a single photon detector without the need for an external reference detector.

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Lior Cohen, Yehuda Pilnyak, Daniel Istrati, Nicholas M. Studer, Jonathan P. Dowling, Hagai S. Eisenberg. 2017-11-09. Absolute self-calibration of single-photon and multiplexed photon-number-resolving detectors. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.98.013811

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