Photon number resolution without optical mode multiplication

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel photon number resolving detection method using distributed coherent absorption in detector arrays, overcoming efficiency and rate trade-offs of traditional multiplexing techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach replacing mode multiplexing with coherent absorption, enabling high-efficiency photon number resolution with scalable detector arrays.

Findings

Deterministic absorption achieved with increased detector array size.

High photon number discrimination efficiency demonstrated.

Method applicable to large on-off detector arrays.

Abstract

Common methods to achieve photon number resolution rely on fast on-off single-photon detectors in conjunction with temporal or spatial mode multiplexing. Yet, these methods suffer from an inherent trade-off between the efficiency of photon number discrimination and photon detection rate. Here, we introduce a method of photon number resolving detection that overcomes these limitations by replacing mode multiplexing with coherent absorption of a single optical mode in a distributed detector array. Distributed coherent absorption ensures complete and uniform absorption of light among the constituent detectors, enabling fast and efficient photon number resolution. As a proof-of-concept, we consider the case of a distributed array of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with realistic parameters and show that deterministic absorption and arbitrarily high photon number discrimination efficiency can be achieved by increasing the number of detectors in the array. Photon number resolution without optical mode multiplication provides a simple yet effective method to discriminate an arbitrary number of photons in large arrays of on-off detectors or in smaller arrays of mode multiplexed detectors.