Quantum correlation measurement with single photon avalanche diode arrays

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of a novel on-chip SPAD array integrated into a confocal microscope to measure quantum photon correlations and perform super-resolution imaging, overcoming crosstalk challenges.

Contribution

It introduces a high-performance SPAD array for quantum correlation measurements and applies it to quantum imaging and super-resolution microscopy.

Findings

Successful measurement of second and third order photon correlations from a quantum dot

Effective crosstalk mitigation enabling reliable quantum measurements

Implementation of quantum image scanning microscopy (Q-ISM)

Abstract

Temporal photon correlation measurement, instrumental to probing the quantum properties of light, typically requires multiple single photon detectors. Progress in single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array technology highlights their potential as high performance detector arrays for quantum imaging and photon number resolving (PNR) experiments. Here, we demonstrate this potential by incorporating a novel on-chip SPAD array with 55% peak photon detection probability, low dark count rate and crosstalk probability of 0.14% per detection, in a confocal microscope. This enables reliable measurements of second and third order photon correlations from a single quantum dot emitter. Our analysis overcomes the inter-detector optical crosstalk background even though it is over an order of magnitude larger than our faint signal. To showcase the vast application space of such an approach, we implement a recently introduced super-resolution imaging method, quantum image scanning microscopy (Q-ISM).