Technology Opportunities

Photon counting is the key enabler of the revolution in experimental quantum optics, as well as for a variety of quantum information applications achieved over the past decade. It also plays an important role in classical applications involving extremely low-light intensities in a wide range of fields including biological imaging and optical communications. Significant efforts have been made to develop photon counters able to detect high photon number states which can provide unique solutions for enhanced-sensitivity metrology and quantum computing. This technology is a sensitive three-photon counter in which input photons are absorbed as triplets by three-photon absorption (3PA) allowing for ultrafast detection of photon triplets and extraction of the temporal shape of a fsec pulse without direction-of-time ambiguity and with no need for spectral measurements.