On the application of a monolithic array for detecting intensity-correlated photons emitted by different source types.
It is not widely appreciated that many subtleties are involved in the accurate measurement of intensity-correlated photons; even for the original experiments of Hanbury Brown and Twiss (HBT). Using a monolithic 4 x 4 array of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), together with an off-chip algorithm for processing streaming data, we investigate the difficulties of measuring second-order photon correlations g((2))(x(iota), t(iota),x, t) in a wide variety of light fields that exhibit dramatically different correlation statistics: a multimode He-Ne laser, an incoherent intensity-modulated lamp-light source and a thermal light source. Our off-chip algorithm treats multiple photon-arrivals at pixel-array pairs, in any observation interval, with photon fluxes limited by detector saturation, in such a way that a correctly normalized g((2)) function is guaranteed. The impact of detector background correlations between SPAD pixels and afterpulsing effects on second-order coherence measurements is discussed. These results demonstrate that our monolithic SPAD array enables access to effects that are otherwise impossible to measure with stand-alone detectors.
Boiko
D L
DL
Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA, 2002, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. dmitri.boiko@csem.ch
Gunther
N J
NJ
Brauer
N
N
Sergio
M
M
Niclass
C
C
Beretta
G B
GB
Charbon
E
E
D000465:Algorithms; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000379:methods; D006371:Helium / Q000737:chemistry; D007368:Interferometry / Q000379:methods; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009356:Neon / Q000737:chemistry; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D017785:Photons; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D006371:Helium; D009356:Neon