Switchable detector array scheme to reduce the effect of single-photon detector's deadtime in a multi-bit/photon quantum link

Published

February 25, 2019

Author(s)

Cong Liu, YONGXIONG Ren, Jiapeng Zhao, MOHAMMAD MIRHOSSEINI, SEYED RAFSANJANI, GUODONG XIE, Kai Pang, Zhe Zhao, Long Li, Joshua Bienfang, Alan L. Migdall, Todd Brun, Moshe Tur, Robert Boyd, Alan Wilner

Abstract

We explore the use of a switchable single-photon detector (SPD) array to reduce the effect of individual SPDs' deadtime for a multi-bit/photon quantum link such as M-orbital-angular-momentum (OAM)-encoded one. Our method uses 􀡺 SPDs with a controllable 􀡹 × 􀢭 optical switch. Our Monte Carlo-based simulation model assumes an 􀡹=4-OAM encoded quantum link and a 50-ns deadtime for the individual SPDs. With an average photon number per pulse of 0.1 and under the limit that at most 10% photon-containing pulses are missed, a switchable 􀡺=20-SPD array will allow an incident photon rate of 2250 million counts/s (Mcts/s). However, a nonswitchable, 4-SPD array has a limited rate of 90 Mcts/s under the same assumption. This increase in speed is more than the 5 (􀫛􀫙⁄􀫝) times increase in the number of SPDs. Moreover, when working at the same incident photon rate and the same average photon number per pulse, the missing ratios of photon-containing pulses for the following two detection schemes are comparable: a switchable 16-SPD array having a characteristic deadtime as slow as 50 ns and a non-switchable, 4-SPD array with a deadtime of <10 ns.

Citation

Optics Communications

Volume

441

Pub Type

Journals

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DOI Link

Keywords

single photon source, single photon, single photon detector, quantum information, quantum detectors, photon statistics

Citation

Liu, C. , Ren, Y. , Zhao, J. , MIRHOSSEINI, M. , RAFSANJANI, S. , XIE, G. , Pang, K. , Zhao, Z. , Li, L. , Bienfang, J. , Migdall, A. , Brun, T. , Tur, M. , Boyd, R. and Wilner, A. (2019), Switchable detector array scheme to reduce the effect of single-photon detector&#146;s deadtime in a multi-bit/photon quantum link, Optics Communications, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optcom.2019.01.081 (Accessed April 26, 2024)