Observation of photon antibunching with a single conventional detector

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simplified method for measuring photon antibunching using a single detector, eliminating the need for complex setups, and successfully demonstrates its effectiveness with colloidal nanocrystals.

Contribution

A novel approach to measure second-order photon correlations with a single detector, reducing complexity and cost compared to traditional methods.

Findings

Photon antibunching observed with a single detector

Method agrees with standard HBT measurements

Simplifies quantum optics correlation measurements

Abstract

The second-order photon correlation function is of great importance in quantum optics which is typically measured with the Hanbury Brown and Twiss interferometer which employs a pair of single-photon detectors and a dual-channel time acquisition module. Here we demonstrate a new method to measure and extract the second-order correlation function with a standard single-photon avalanche photodiode (dead-time = 22 ns) and a single-channel time acquisition module. This is realized by shifting the informative coincidence counts near the zero-time delay to a time window which is not obliterated by the dead-time and after-pulse of detection system. The new scheme is verified by measuring the second-order correlation from a single colloidal nanocrystal. Photon antibunching is unambiguously observed and agrees well with the result measured using the standard HBT setup. Our scheme simplifies the higher-order correlation technique and might be favored in cost-sensitive circumstances.