Superconducting single photon detectors for quantum optics and spectroscopy up to 2.5 microns

量子光学在探索和理解物理学中一些最非凡的概念方面做出了重大贡献，例如光子反聚束和聚并、真空拉比振荡、纠缠和隐形传态。这些和其他相关的概念现在正被利用作为资源，在计量、传感、通信和计算领域开发新的和增强的技术。***近年来，我们的团队在这些技术方面做出了开创性的贡献：我们开发了具有大光偶极矩的单光子发射体，我们在单孔系统中应用并改进了量子态的相干控制，我们首次在亚周期时间尺度上解决了电场（包括真空）的量子统计，我们开发了精密光谱学的新工具和新方法。我们将外延生长技术应用于沉积同位素富集的半导体以及用于经典和量子技术的新型族iv材料。***为了支持这些活动和本提案中描述的研究计划，我们的团队需要一个高量子效率的超导单光子探测器（SSPD）系统，该系统优化了1.6至2.5微米波长范围内的快速时间响应和高计数率。这一重要的工具目前在巴黎理工大学和蒙特兰萨塔尔大学都无法使用，它将为量子光学和半导体量子技术领域提供几个突出的机会：硅量子光子学的高相干量子光源的实现，第一个工作在1-20太赫兹波段的高灵敏度单光子探测器的演示，以及高迁移率光孔二维气体在量子技术中应用前景广阔的新型材料的开发。***通过在量子光学和半导体量子技术的前沿进行最高水平的研究，该仪器将有助于进一步提高加拿大的研究竞争力，并在吸引和培养最高质量的HQP方面发挥重要作用。＊＊＊＊＊

Quantum optics has been a major contributor to the exploration and understanding of some of the most extraordinary concepts in physics, such as photon antibunching and coalescence, vacuum Rabi oscillations, entanglement, and teleportation. These and other related concepts are now being exploited as resources to develop new and enhanced technologies in the fields of metrology, sensing, communications and computations. ***In recent years, our team has made seminal contributions in connection to these technologies: we have developed single photon emitters with large optical dipole moments, we have applied and refined coherent control of quantum states in single hole systems, we have resolved for the first time the quantum statistics of electric fields (including that of the vacuum) on subcycle time scales, we have developed new tools and methods for precision spectroscopy, we apply techniques of epitaxial growth to deposit isotopically enriched semiconductors as well as new group-IV materials for both classical and quantum technologies. ***To support these activities and the research program described in this proposal, our team requests a high quantum efficiency Superconducting Single Photon Detector (SSPD) system optimized for fast temporal response and high count rates in the wavelength range from 1.6 to 2.5 microns. Currently unavailable at Polytechnique and the Université de Montréal, this important tool will provide the means to address several outstanding opportunities in the field of quantum optics and semiconductor quantum technologies: the realization of highly-coherent quantum light sources for silicon quantum photonics, the demonstration of the first high-sensitivity single-photon detector operating in the 1-20 THz band, and the development of new class of materials where two-dimensional gas of high-mobility light-holes holds great promise for applications in quantum technologies. ***By enabling research of the highest caliber at the forefront in quantum optics and semiconductor quantum technologies, this instrumentation will serve to further enhance Canada's research competitiveness and play an important role in attracting and training HQP of the highest quality. *****