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DOE OSTI2024

Sixteen multiple-amplifier sensing charge-coupled devices and characterization techniques targeting the next generation of astronomical instruments

We present a candidate sensor for future spectroscopic applications, such as a Stage-5 Spectroscopic Survey Experiment or the Habitable Worlds Observatory. This type of charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor features multiple in-line amplifiers at its output stage allowing multiple measurements of the same charge packet, either in each amplifier or in the different amplifiers. Recently, the operation of an eight-amplifier sensor has been experimentally demonstrated, and we present the operation of a 16-amplifier sensor. This new sensor enables a noise level of ∼1 erms− with a single sample per amplifier. In addition, it is shown that sub-electron noise can be achieved using multiple samples per amplifier. In addition to demonstrating the performance of the 16-amplifier sensor, we aim to create a framework for future analysis and performance optimization of this type of detectors. New models and techniques are presented to characterize specific parameters, which are absent in conventional CCDs and Skipper CCDs: charge transfer between amplifiers and independent and common noise in the amplifiers and their processing.

16 multiple-amplifer sensing CCD (MAS-CCD)↗

DOE OSTI2020

On-demand indistinguishable single photons from an efficient and pure source based on a Rydberg ensemble

Single photons coupled to atomic systems have shown to be a promising platform for developing quantum technologies. Yet a bright on-demand, highly pure, and highly indistinguishable single-photon source compatible with atomic platforms is lacking. In this work, we demonstrate such a source based on a strongly interacting Rydberg system. The large optical nonlinearities in a blockaded Rydberg ensemble convert coherent light into a single collective excitation that can be coherently retrieved as a quantum field. We simultaneously observe a fully single-mode (spectral, temporal, spatial, and polarization) efficiency up to 0.098(2), a detector-background-subtracted g ( 2 ) = 5.0 ( 1.6 ) × <#comment/> 10 − <#comment/> 4 , and indistinguishability of 0.980(7), at an average photon production rate of 1.18 ( 2 ) × <#comment/> 10 4 s − <#comment/> 1 . All of these make this system promising for scalable quantum information applications. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of contaminant Rydberg excitations on the source efficiency and observed single-mode efficiencies up to 0.18(2) for lower photon rates. Finally, recognizing that many quantum information protocols require a single photon in a fully single mode, we introduce metrics that take into account all degrees of freedom to benchmark the performance of on-demand sources.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Experiments with Undulator Radiation, Emitted by a Single Electron

We study a single electron, circulating in the Fermilab IOTA storage ring and interacting with an undulator through single and multi-photon emissions. The focus of this research is on single-photon and two-photon undulator emissions. We begin by using one Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) detector to detect the undulator radiation photons and search for possible deviations from the expected Poissonian photon statistics. Then, we go on to use a two-photon interferometer consisting of two SPAD detectors separated by a beam splitter. This allows to test if there is any correlation in the detected photon pairs. In addition, the photocount arrival times can be used to track the longitudinal motion of a single electron and to compare it with simulations. This allowed us to determine several dynamical parameters of the storage ring such as the rf cavity phase jitter and the dependence of the synchrotron motion period on amplitude.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Performance of black silicon photodiodes for VUV detection in noble liquids

Black silicon (b-Si) photodiodes are an emerging technology that employs silicon nanostructures to enhance the efficiency of photon detection. Recently, we demonstrated nearly 100% quantum efficiency at <200 nm vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) wavelengths at ambient and in noble liquids, making such devices particularly useful for direct detection of scintillation light in noble liquid detectors. This is important in nuclear science experiments like DarkSide, LUX, XENON, and nEXO, where detection of weak VUV scintillation photons in noble liquids are used to identify rare physics radiation events. Here, we measured the response of b-Si photodiode to the scintillation light generated by alpha particles, all immersed in a LAr and LXe test cell. We established a guideline for future development of b-Si photodetectors with internal gain to reach single-photon sensitivity.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗