Photon number resolving systems and methods
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsRaymond G. Beausoleil, William J. Munro, Timothy P. Spiller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Photon resolving detectors with near unit detection efficiency distinguish between a target state including n photons and a target state including n+1 photons by measuring a phase shift that a probe photon state receives in a quantum gate. The detection does not destroy the photons from the target state, so that photons can be used after detection. A system using a non-destructive detector in conjunction with one or more single photon storage systems can store a determined number of photons and release one or more stored photons when required to produce a photon state including a determined number of photons.
Claims29
A device comprising:
- a gate capable of receiving a target photon state and a probe photon state, wherein the gate creates in the probe state a change that depends on a number of photons in the target photon state;
- and
- a measurement system arranged to measure the change in the probe state to detect whether the target photon state includes one or more photons.
A method for detecting a number of photons in a target state, comprising:
- directing the target state and a probe state into a gate that causes a non-linear interaction between the target state and the probe state;
- measuring a change in the probe state that arises from the non-linear interaction;
- and
- inferring the number of photons in the target state from the changes in the probe state.
A device comprising a set of single photon sources, wherein each single photon source comprises:
- a photon source that generates a target state that has chances of including 0 or 1 photon;
- and
- a gate position to receive the target photon state and a probe photon state, wherein the gate creates in the probe state a change that depends on a number of photons in the target photon state;
- a measurement system arranged to measure the change in the probe state to detect whether the target photon state includes one or more photons;
- and
- a photon storage system that stores the photon of the target state in response to the measurement system detecting that the target state includes 1 photon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.