UP-conversion of Single-photons for ENvironnmental SEnsing [UP-SENSE]

减少人类对全球变暖的贡献和实现净零排放是社会需要解决的一个重大问题。技术发展将是减少温室气体排放过程的一个重要组成部分。减少排放的最简单方法是减少气体泄漏，这需要非常灵敏的泄漏检测设备。由于二氧化碳排放量减少，天然气（主要由甲烷组成）正在成为主要的化石燃料。然而，工业泄漏是温室气体（GHG）的主要来源。在COP26之后，工业和立法的注意力正在转向减少甲烷排放。传统的敏感设备可能体积庞大，操作起来劳动密集。为了检测甲烷和其他温室气体，需要广泛的连续监测设备。QLM率先部署了量子技术，以红外激光雷达相机的形式对温室气体进行成像，定位和量化。然而，这只是沿着这条路迈出的沿着第一步，检测灵敏度的提高可以用来扩展操作范围或检测速度。QLM，Fraunhofer，Covesion和布里斯托大学之间的这个项目合作提供了一种创新的方法来解决这个问题，通过在较长波长处产生散射，然后使用光子到较短波长的量子上转换进行低噪声检测，具有单光子灵敏度的高效可见波长探测器。这需要Covesion开发上转换技术，以在比目前证明的更长的波长下工作，但理论上是可行的。初步工作将在已知可行的波长范围内证明这一概念，并提高检测效率。这项技术将在解决方案有限的波长范围内以高灵敏度检测更多不同的气体种类。

Reducing human contributions to global warming and the journey to net-zero is a major problem for society to tackle. Technology developments will be a large part of the process to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The simplest way to reduce is emissions is to reduce gas leaks, requiring very sensitive leak detection equipment.Natural gas (largely consisting of methane) is becoming the dominant fossil fuel due to the reduced carbon dioxide emissions. However, industrial leaks are a major source of Greenhouse gases (GHGs). After COP26, industry and legislation attention is shifting towards reducing methane emissions. Traditional sensitive equipment can be bulky and labour intensive to operate. There is a need for wide-spread continuous monitoring equipment for detection of methane and other GHGs.QLM has pioneered deployment of quantum technology, in the form of an infrared LiDAR camera to image, locate and quantify GHGs. However, this is just the first step along the way and improvements in sensitivity of detection can be used to extend the range of operation, or speed of detection.This project collaboration between QLM, Fraunhofer, Covesion and the University of Bristol provides an innovative approach to solve this problem, by generating scattering at longer wavelengths, then using quantum up-conversion of photons to shorter wavelength for detection on low-noise, efficient visible wavelength detectors with single-photon sensitivity. This requires development of upconversion technology by Covesion, to work at longer wavelengths than currently demonstrated, but that are theoretically viable. Initial work will prove the concept at wavelengths that are known to be feasible and will offer increased detection efficiency.This technology will open up the possibility of detecting more varied gas species with high sensitivity in a wavelength region where there are limited solutions.