D. Molenaar | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

Direct measurement of darkness using a standard single-photon avalanche photodiode

In experiments requiring extreme darkness, such as experiments probing the limits of human vision, assessment of the background photon flux is essential. However, direct measurement thereof with standard single photon detectors is challenged by dark counts and their fluctuations. Here we report an experiment and detailed statistical analysis of a direct measurement of darkness in a dedicated dark chamber suitable for human vision experiments, only using a standard single photon detector and a mechanical shutter. From a Bayesian analysis of $616$ h of data, we find substantial to decisive evidence for absolute darkness (depending on choice of prior distribution) based on the Savage-Dickey ratio, and a light level $<0.039$ cnt/s (posterior $0.95$-highest density interval).

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Quantum detector tomography applied to the human visual system: a feasibility study

We show that quantum detector tomography can be applied to the human visual system to explore human perception of photon number states. In detector tomography, instead of using very hard to produce photon number states, the response of a detector to light pulses with known photon statistics of varying intensity is recorded, and a model is fitted to the experimental outcomes thereby inferring the detector's photon number state response. Generally, light pulses containing a Poisson-distributed number of photons are utilised, which are very easy to produce in the lab. This technique has not been explored to study the human visual system before, because it usually requires a very large number of repetitions not suitable for experiments on humans. Yet, in the present study we show that detector tomography is feasible for human experiments. Assuming a simple model for this accuracy, the results of our simulations show that detector tomography is able to reconstruct the model using Bayesian inference with as little as $5000$ trials. We then optimize the experimental parameters in order to maximise the probability of showing that the single-photon accuracy is above chance. As such, our study opens the road to study human perception on quantum level.

quant-ph↗