Morozov, P., Lukina, M., Shirmanova, M., Divochiy, A., Dudenkova, V., Gol'tsman, G. N., et al. (2021). Singlet oxygen phosphorescence imaging by superconducting single-photon detector and time-correlated single-photon counting. Opt. Lett., 46(6), 1217–1220.
Abstract: This Letter presents, to the best of our knowledge, a novel optical configuration for direct time-resolved measurements of luminescence from singlet oxygen, both in solutions and from cultured cells on photodynamic therapy. The system is based on the superconducting single-photon detector, coupled to the confocal scanner that is modified for the near-infrared measurements. The recording of a phosphorescence signal from singlet oxygen at 1270 nm has been done using time-correlated single-photon counting. The performance of the system is verified by measuring phosphorescence from singlet oxygen generated by the photosensitizers commonly used in photodynamic therapy: methylene blue and chlorin e6. The described system can be easily upgraded to the configuration when both phosphorescence from singlet oxygen and fluorescence from the cells can be detected in the imaging mode. Thus, co-localization of the signal from singlet oxygen with the areas inside the cells can be done.
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Shcherbatenko, M., Elezov, M., Manova, N., Sedykh, K., Korneev, A., Korneeva, Y., et al. (2021). Single-pixel camera with a large-area microstrip superconducting single photon detector on a multimode fiber. Appl. Phys. Lett., 118(18), 181103.
Abstract: High sensitivity imaging at the level of single photons is an invaluable tool in many areas, ranging from microscopy to astronomy. However, development of single-photon sensitive detectors with high spatial resolution is very non-trivial. Here we employ the single-pixel imaging approach and demonstrate a proof-of-principle single-pixel single-photon imaging setup. We overcome the problem of low light gathering efficiency by developing a large-area microstrip superconducting single photon detector coupled to a multi-mode optical fiber interface. We show that the setup operates well in the visible and near infrared spectrum, and is able to capture images at the single-photon level.
We thank Philipp Zolotov and Pavel Morozov for NbN film fabrication, ARC coating, and fiber coupling of the detector. We also thank Swabian Instruments GmbH and Dr. Helmut Fedder personally for the kindly provided experimental equipment (Time Tagger Ultra 8). The work in the part of SNSPD research and development was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research Project No. 18-29-20100. The work in the part of the optical setup and imaging was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research Project No. 20-32-51004.
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Zinoni, C., Alloing, B., Li, L. H., Marsili, F., Fiore, A., Lunghi, L., et al. (2007). Single-photonics at telecom wavelengths using nanowire superconducting single photon detectors. In CLEO/QELS (QTuF6 (1 to 2)). Optical Society of America.
Abstract: Novel single-photon detectors based on NbN superconducting nanostructures promise orders-of- magnitude improvement over InGaAs APDs. We demonstrate this improved performance for the first time by measuring the g(2)(τ) on single photon states produced by a quantum dot at telecom wavelength.
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Verevkin, A., Williams, C., Gol’tsman, G. N., Sobolewski, R., & Gilbert, G. (2001). Single-photon superconducting detectors for practical high-speed quantum cryptography. Optical Society of America.
Abstract: We have developed an ultrafast superconducting single-photon detector with negligible dark counting rate. The detector is based on an ultrathin, submicron-wide NbN meander-type stripe and can detect individual photons in the visible to near-infrared wavelength range at a rate of at least 10 Gb/s. The above counting rate allows us to implement the NbN device to unconditionally secret quantum key distRochester, New Yorkribution in a practical, high-speed system using real-time Vernam enciphering.
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Zinoni, C., Alloing, B., Li, L. H., Marsili, F., Fiore, A., Lunghi, L., et al. (2007). Single-photon experiments at telecommunication wavelengths using nanowire superconducting detectors. Appl. Phys. Lett., 91(3), 031106 (1 to 3).
Abstract: The authors report fiber-coupled superconducting single-photon detectors with specifications that exceed those of avalanche photodiodes, operating at telecommunication wavelength, in sensitivity, temporal resolution, and repetition frequency. The improved performance is demonstrated by measuring the intensity correlation function g(2)(τ) of single-photon states at 1300nm produced by single semiconductor quantum dots.
This work was supported by Swiss National Foundation through the “Professeur borsier” and NCCR Quantum Photonics program, FP6 STREP “SINPHONIA” (Contract No. NMP4-CT-2005-16433), IP “QAP” (Contract No. 15848), NOE “ePIXnet,” and the Italian MIUR-FIRB program.
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Smirnov, K. V., Vakhtomin, Y. B., Divochiy, A. V., Ozhegov, R. V., Pentin, I. V., Slivinskaya, E. V., et al. (2009). Single-photon detectors for the visible and infrared parts of the spectrum based on NbN nanostructures. In Proc. Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symp. (pp. 863–864). Moscow, Russia.
Abstract: The research by the group of Moscow State Pedagogical University into the hot-electron phenomena in thin superconducting films has led to the development of new types ofdetectors [1, 2] and their use both in fundamental and applied studies [3–6]. In this paper, wepresent the results of the development and fabrication of receiving systems for the visible andinfrared parts of the spectrum optimised for use in telecommunication systems and quantumcryptography.
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Korneev, A., Vachtomin, Y., Minaeva, O., Divochiy, A., Smirnov, K., Okunev, O., et al. (2007). Single-photon detection system for quantum optics applications. IEEE J. Select. Topics Quantum Electron., 13(4), 944–951.
Abstract: We describe the design and characterization of a fiber-coupled double-channel single-photon detection system based on superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD), and its application for quantum optics experiments on semiconductor nanostructures. When operated at 2-K temperature, the system shows 10% quantum efficiency at 1.3-¿m wavelength with dark count rate below 10 counts per second and timing resolution <100 ps. The short recovery time and absence of afterpulsing leads to counting frequencies as high as 40 MHz. Moreover, the low dark count rate allows operation in continuous mode (without gating). These characteristics are very attractive-as compared to InGaAs avalanche photodiodes-for quantum optics experiments at telecommunication wavelengths. We demonstrate the use of the system in time-correlated fluorescence spectroscopy of quantum wells and in the measurement of the intensity correlation function of light emitted by semiconductor quantum dots at 1300 nm.
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Divochiy, A., Misiaszek, M., Vakhtomin, Y., Morozov, P., Smirnov, K., Zolotov, P., et al. (2018). Single photon detection system for visible and infrared spectrum range. Opt. Lett., 43(24), 6085–6088.
Abstract: We demonstrate niobium nitride based superconducting single-photon detectors sensitive in the spectral range 452-2300 nm. The system performance was tested in a real-life experiment with correlated photons generated by means of spontaneous parametric downconversion, where one photon was in the visible range and the other was in the infrared range. We measured a signal to noise ratio as high as 4x10(4) in our detection setting. A photon detection efficiency as high as 64% at 1550 nm and 15% at 2300 nm was observed.
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Korneeva, Y., Vodolazov, D., Florya, I., Manova, N., Smirnov, E., Korneev, A., et al. (2018). Single photon detection in micron scale NbN and α-MoSi superconducting strips. In EPJ Web Conf. (Vol. 190, 04010 (1 to 2)).
Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate the single photon detection in straight micrometer-wide NbN and α-MoSi bridges. Width of the bridges is 2 µm, while the wavelength of the photon changes from 408 to 1550 nm and critical current exceeds 50% of the depairing current. Obtained results offer the alternative route for design of detectors without resonator and meander structure and indirectly confirm vortex assisted mechanism of single photon detection.
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Tarkhov, M., Morozov, D., Mauskopf, P., Seleznev, V., Korneev, A., Kaurova, N., et al. (2006). Single photon counting detector for THz radioastronomy. In Proc. 17th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 119–122).
Abstract: In this paper we present the results of the research on the superconducting NbN-ultrathin-film single- photon detectors (SSPD) which are capable to detect single quanta in middle IR range. The detection mechanism is based on the hotspot formation in quasi-two-dimensional superconducting structures upon photon absorption. Spectral measurements showed that up to 5.7 gm wavelength (52 THz) the SSPD exhibits single-photon sensitivity. Reduction of operation temperature to 1.6 K allowed us to measure quantum efficiency of -4% at 60 THz. Although further decrease of the operation temperature far below 1 K does not lead to any significant increase of quantum efficiency. We expect that the improvement of the SSPD's performance at reduced operation temperature will make SSPD a practical detector with high characteristics for much lower THz frequencies as well.
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