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Photon-Number-Resolving Transition-Edge Sensors for the Metrology of Quantum Light Sources

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Abstract

Low-temperature photon-number-resolving detectors allow for direct access to the photon number distribution of quantum light sources and can thus be exploited to explore the photon statistics, e.g., solid-state-based non-classical light sources. In this work, we report on the setup and calibration of a detection system based on fiber-coupled tungsten transition-edge sensors (W-TESs). Our stand-alone system comprises two W-TESs, read out by two 2-stage-SQUID current sensors, operated in a compact detector unit that is integrated in an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. Fast low-noise analog amplifiers and digitizers are used for signal acquisition. The detection efficiency of the single-mode fiber-coupled detector system in the spectral region of interest (850–950 nm) is determined to be larger than 87 %. The presented detector system opens up new routes in the characterization of quantum light sources for quantum information, quantum-enhanced sensing and quantum metrology.

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Acknowledgements

Most of the results in this paper come from the project EMPIR 14IND05 MIQC2. This project has received funding from the EMPIR programme co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. We gratefully acknowledge A.E. Lita and S.W. Nam from NIST, USA, for providing the TES detector chips, and D. Wernicke from Entropy GmbH, Germany, for the mechanical design of the ADR unit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestraße 2-12, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    M. Schmidt & J. Beyer

  2. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany

    M. López & S. Kück

  3. Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623, Berlin, Germany

    M. Schmidt, M. von Helversen, F. Gericke, E. Schlottmann, T. Heindel & S. Reitzenstein

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  1. M. Schmidt
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  2. M. von Helversen
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  3. M. López
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  4. F. Gericke
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  5. E. Schlottmann
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  6. T. Heindel
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Correspondence to M. Schmidt.

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Schmidt, M., von Helversen, M., López, M. et al. Photon-Number-Resolving Transition-Edge Sensors for the Metrology of Quantum Light Sources. J Low Temp Phys 193, 1243–1250 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-018-1932-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-018-1932-1

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