October 10, 2017 (HP127).  Detecting single quanta of light single-photons is extremely challenging, requiring detectors with exquisite sensitivity.  Single-photon detectors based on superconducting nanowires have emerged as the gold standard for infrared photon counting, enabling ground-breaking studies in quantum optics, space-to-ground communication and long range remote sensing.  These sought-after devices operate just a few degrees above absolute zero; such low temperatures are challenging to achieve outside of the research laboratory.  Researchers at the University of Glasgow and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory UK have adapted a miniaturized cooler first developed for the European Space Agency Planck mission to house a fibre-optic coupled superconducting detector, provided by the Dutch start-up Single Quantum BV.  They have used this compact platform to carry out a range of compelling infrared photon counting demonstrations, including time-of-flight ranging and dose monitoring for laser cancer treatment.  These results are reported in a Letter to the Journal Superconductor Science and Technology.  Editor-in-Chief Dr. Cathy Foley of CSIRO Australia explains ‘This is a very exciting report and a genuine breakthrough.  This work shows that advances in cryogenic engineering will enable superconducting quantum technologies to have a decisive impact on a host of real-world applications.’

Superconductor Science and Technology Letter         

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6668/aa8ac7/meta

Pictured: A superconducting single-photon detector mounted in the miniaturized cooler.