Infrared (IR) imaging is important in many disciplines but is limited by inefficient, noisy and expensive cameras. Nonlinear interferometers (NLI) enable imaging with undetected photons, where correlated visible-IR photon pairs convey information about an object illuminated in the IR but detected by a visible camera. We introduce compact PPLN based Michelson-style NLI sand discuss their operation in the context of a comprehensive model, exploring the influence of internal losses, IR seeding, and parametric gain on interferometer contrast and visibility. We show that NLI performance can be enhanced for samples with low transmission even in the presence of significant experimental losses.
Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD) offer excellent performance for infrared single photon detection, combining high efficiency, low timing jitter, low dark count rates and high photon counting rates. Promising application areas for SNSPDs include quantum key distribution, space-to-ground communications and single photon remote sensing [1]. SNSPDs are typically made with ultrathin niobium nitride (NbN) films with thickness 4 nm and a superconducting transition temperature above 9 K. NbN offers high performance in the near infrared but their sensitivity drops at wavelengths beyond 2 um. There is growing interest in potential photon counting applications in the mid infrared domain (for example remote sensing of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere [2]). One way to overcome the wavelength limit in NbN SNSPDs is to use films with a lower superconducting energy gap [3]. Here we report on the study of SNSPDs fabricated with thin films of titanium nitride (TiN). We compare TiN films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and by magnetron sputtering. The TiN films range in thickness from 5 to 60 nm, with superconducting transition temperatures from ~1 K to 3.5 K. We have analyzed the films via transmission electron microscopy and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. We characterize TiN SNSPDs performance from near to mid-infrared at wavelengths (1-4 um) with fast optical parametric oscillator (OPO) source. We compare the performance of TiN SNSPDs to devices based on other lower gap materials: MoSi, NbTiN, WSi.
[1] Natarajan et al Superconductor Science and Technology 25 063001 (2012)
[2] Abshire et al Laser Applications to Chemical, Security and Environmental Analysis, (Optical Society of America,
2008) paper LMA4
[3] Verma et al Applied Physics Letters 105 022602 (2014)
Ghost imaging systems use down-conversion sources that produce twin output beams of position-correlated photons to produce an image of an object using photons that did not interact with the object. One of these beams illuminates the object and is detected by a single pixel detector while the image information is recovered from the second, spatially correlated, beam. We utilize this technique to obtain images of objects probed with 1.5μm photons whilst developing the image using a highly efficient, low-noise, photon-counting camera detecting the correlated photons at 460nm. The efficient transfer of the image information from infrared illumination to visible detection wavelengths and the ability to count single-photons allows the acquisition of an image while illuminating the object with an optical power density of only 100 pJ cm-2 s-1. We apply image reconstruction techniques based on compressive sensing to reconstruct our images from data sets containing far fewer photons than conventionally required. This wavelength-transforming ghost imaging technique has potential for the imaging of light-sensitive specimens or where covert operation is desired.
An explicit dosimetry model has been developed to calculate the apparent reacted 1O2 concentration ([1O2]rx) in an in-vivo model. In the model, a macroscopic quantity, g, is introduced to account for oxygen perfusion to the medium during PDT. In this study, the SOED model is extended for PDT treatment in phantom conditions where vasculature is not present; the oxygen perfusion is achieved through the air-phantom interface instead. The solution of the SOED model is obtained by solving the coupled photochemical rate equations incorporating oxygen perfusion through the air-liquid interface. Experiments were performed for two photosensitizers (PS), Rose Bengal (RB) and Photofrin, in solution, using SOED and SOLD measurements to determine both the instantaneous [1O2] as well as cumulative [1O2]rx concentrations, where [1O2=(1/τ▵)•∫[1O2]dt. The PS concentrations varied between 10 and 100 mM for RB and ~200 mM for Photofrin. The resulting magnitudes of [1O2] were compared between SOED and SOLD.
KEYWORDS: Imaging systems, Single photon, Signal to noise ratio, Sensors, Profiling, Picosecond phenomena, Single photon detectors, Avalanche photodiodes, LIDAR, Nanowires
Active depth imaging approaches are being used in a number of emerging applications, for example in
environmental sensing, manufacturing and defense. The high sensitivity and picosecond timing resolution of the
time-correlated single-photon counting technique can provide distinct advantages in the trade-offs between
required illumination power, range, depth resolution and data acquisition durations. These considerations must
also address requirements for eye-safety, especially in applications requiring outdoor, kilometer range sensing.
We present a scanning time-of-flight imager based on MHz repetition-rate pulsed illumination operating with
sub-milliwatt average power. The use of a scanning mechanism permits operation with an individual, high-performance
single-photon detector. The system has been used with a number of non-cooperative targets, in
different weather conditions and various ambient light conditions. We consider a number of system issues,
including the range ambiguity issue and scattering from multiple surfaces. The initial work was performed at
wavelengths around 850 nm for convenient use with Si-based single photon avalanche diode detectors, however
we will also discuss the performance at a wavelength of 1560 nm, made using superconducting nanowire single
photon detectors. The use of the latter wavelength band allows access to a low-loss atmospheric window, as well
as greatly reduced solar background contribution and less stringent eye safety considerations. We consider a
range of optical design configurations and discuss the performance trade-offs and future directions in more
detail.
Active depth imaging approaches have numerous potential applications in a number of disciplines, including
environmental sensing, manufacturing and defense. The high sensitivity and picosecond timing resolution of the singlephoton
counting technique can provide distinct advantages in the trade-offs between required illumination power, range,
depth resolution, and data acquisition durations. These considerations must also address requirements for eye-safety,
especially in applications requiring outdoor, kilometer range sensing. We present a scanning time-of-flight imager based
on high repetition-rate (>MHz) pulsed illumination and a silicon single-photon detector. In advanced photon-counting
experiments, we have employed the system for unambiguous range resolution at several kilometer target distance,
multiple-surface resolution based on adaptive algorithms, and a cumulative data acquisition method that facilitates
detector characterization and evaluation. We consider a range of optical design configurations and discuss the
performance trade-offs in more detail. Much of this work has been performed at wavelengths around 850nm for
convenient use with Si-based single photon avalanche diode detectors, however we will also discuss the performance at
wavelengths around 1550 nm employing superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. The extension of this depth
profiling technique to longer wavelengths will lead to relaxed eye safety requirements, reduced solar background levels
and improvements in atmospheric transmission.
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