Absolute self-calibration of single-photon and multiplexed photon-number-resolving detectors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for calibrating single-photon and multiplexed photon-number-resolving detectors without external references, utilizing photon-number correlations and nonlinear loss effects.

Contribution

The authors propose an absolute calibration technique that eliminates the need for a reference detector, applicable to both single and multiplexed photon detectors.

Findings

Successfully calibrated detectors without external references

Validated method with experimental demonstration

Applicable to photon-number-resolving detectors

Abstract

Single-photon detectors are widely used in modern quantum optics experiments and applications. Like all detectors, it is important for these devices to be accurately calibrated. A single-photon detector is calibrated by determining its detection efficiency; the standard method to measure this quantity requires comparison to another detector. Here, we suggest a method to measure the detection efficiency of a single photon detector without requiring an external reference detector. Our method is valid for individual single-photon detectors as well as multiplexed detectors, which are known to be photon number resolving. The method exploits the photon-number correlations of a nonlinear source, as well as the nonlinear loss of a single photon detector that occurs when multiple photons are detected simultaneously. We have analytically modeled multiplexed detectors and used the results to experimentally demonstrate calibration of a single photon detector without the need for an external reference detector.