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Title: Photon statistics in the macroscopic realm measured without photon counters

Abstract

In a macroscopic realm, in which photons are too many to be counted by any photon-counting detector, photon statistics can be measured by using detectors simply endowed with linear response. We insert one of such detectors in a conventional photon-counting apparatus, which returns a voltage every time the detector responds to light by generating a number of elementary charges via its primary photodetection process. We only assume that, when a single charge is photogenerated, the probability density of the voltages is a distribution that is narrow with respect to its mean value. Under this hypothesis the output voltages can be suitably binned so that their probability distribution is the same as that of the photogenerated charges, that is, of the detected photons.

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. Dipartimento di Fisica e Matematica, Universita degli Studi dell'Insubria and CNISM, U.d.R. Como, I-22100 Como (Italy)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21313337
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review. A
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 80; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.80.013819; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1050-2947
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; DISTRIBUTION; ELECTRIC POTENTIAL; EQUIPMENT; OPTICS; PHOTODETECTORS; PHOTONS; PROBABILITY; RADIATION DETECTION; RADIATION DETECTORS; STATISTICS; VISIBLE RADIATION

Citation Formats

Andreoni, Alessandra, Bondani, Maria, and National Laboratory for Ultrafast and Ultraintense Optical Science, CNR-INFM and CNISM, U.d.R. Como, I-22100 Como. Photon statistics in the macroscopic realm measured without photon counters. United States: N. p., 2009. Web. doi:10.1103/PHYSREVA.80.013819.
Andreoni, Alessandra, Bondani, Maria, & National Laboratory for Ultrafast and Ultraintense Optical Science, CNR-INFM and CNISM, U.d.R. Como, I-22100 Como. Photon statistics in the macroscopic realm measured without photon counters. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.80.013819
Andreoni, Alessandra, Bondani, Maria, and National Laboratory for Ultrafast and Ultraintense Optical Science, CNR-INFM and CNISM, U.d.R. Como, I-22100 Como. 2009. "Photon statistics in the macroscopic realm measured without photon counters". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.80.013819.
@article{osti_21313337,
title = {Photon statistics in the macroscopic realm measured without photon counters},
author = {Andreoni, Alessandra and Bondani, Maria and National Laboratory for Ultrafast and Ultraintense Optical Science, CNR-INFM and CNISM, U.d.R. Como, I-22100 Como},
abstractNote = {In a macroscopic realm, in which photons are too many to be counted by any photon-counting detector, photon statistics can be measured by using detectors simply endowed with linear response. We insert one of such detectors in a conventional photon-counting apparatus, which returns a voltage every time the detector responds to light by generating a number of elementary charges via its primary photodetection process. We only assume that, when a single charge is photogenerated, the probability density of the voltages is a distribution that is narrow with respect to its mean value. Under this hypothesis the output voltages can be suitably binned so that their probability distribution is the same as that of the photogenerated charges, that is, of the detected photons.},
doi = {10.1103/PHYSREVA.80.013819},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21313337}, journal = {Physical Review. A},
issn = {1050-2947},
number = 1,
volume = 80,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009},
month = {Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009}
}