Single-photon detection and its applications

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SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy, Volume 57, Issue 7: 1218(2014) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-014-5450-0

Single-photon detection and its applications

LIANG Yan1,2,*, ZENG HePing1,2,1,*,*
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  • AcceptedFeb 18, 2014
  • PublishedMay 22, 2014

Abstract

A single-photon detector is an extremely sensitive device capable of registering photons, offering essential technical support for optics quantum information applications. We review herein our recent experimental progress in the development and application of single-photon detection techniques. Techniques based on advanced self-differencing, low-pass filtering, frequency up-conversion and photon-number-resolving are introduced for attaining high-speed, high-efficiency, low-noise single-photon detection at infrared wavelengths. The advantages of high-speed single-photon detection are discussed in some applications, such as the laser ranging and quantum key distribution. The photon-number-resolving detection is shown to support efficient quantum random number generation.


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