Repository logo
 

Single photon multiclock lock-in detection by picosecond timestamping

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Jakob, LA 
Deacon, WM 
Hicks, O 
Manyakin, I 
Ojambati, OS 

Abstract

jats:pExtracting signals at low single-photon count rates from large backgrounds is a challenge in many optical experiments and technologies. Here, we demonstrate a single-photon lock-in detection scheme based on continuous photon timestamping to improve the SNR by more than two orders of magnitude. Through time-resolving the signal modulation induced by periodic perturbations, 98% of dark counts are filtered out and the jats:inline-formula <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> mml:mo<</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> mml:mn1</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:mrow> <mml:mspace width="thickmathspace" /> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">c</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">o</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">u</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">n</mml:mi> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">t</mml:mi> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> mml:mo/</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">s</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> </jats:inline-formula> contributions from several different nonlinear processes identified. As a proof-of-concept, coherent anti-Stokes Raman measurements are used to determine the vibrational lifetime of few molecules in a plasmonic nanocavity. This detection scheme can be applied to all single-photon counting experiments with any number of simultaneous modulation frequencies, greatly increasing SNR and resolving physical processes with picosecond time resolution while keeping the photon dosage small. The open instrumentation package provided here enables low-cost implementation.</jats:p>

Description

Keywords

5108 Quantum Physics, 51 Physical Sciences, Bioengineering

Journal Title

Optica

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2334-2536
2334-2536

Volume Title

Publisher

Optica Publishing Group
Sponsorship
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) (829067)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Research Infrastructures (RI) (861950)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) ERC (883703)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/L015978/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/L027151/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/S022953/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/P029426/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/R020965/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/G060649/1)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (2275079)
Relationships
Is supplemented by: