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Sample records for photon counting spectroscopy

  1. A new microcalorimeter concept for photon counting X-ray spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silver, E.H.; Labov, S.E.

    1989-01-01

    We present an innovative approach for performing photon counting X-ray spectroscopy with cryogenic microcalorimeters. The detector concept takes advantage of the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant in ferroelectric materials. A dielectric calorimeter has many potential advantages over traditional resistive devices, particularly in the reduction of Johnson noise. This makes the energy resolution for photon counting spectroscopy limited only to the noise produced by the intrinsic temperature fluctuations of the device. The detector concept is presented and its predicted performance is compared with resistive calorimeters. Calculations have shown that practical instruments operating with an energy resolution less than 20 eV may be possible at 300 mK. (orig.)

  2. Silicon photon-counting avalanche diodes for single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalet, Xavier; Ingargiola, Antonino; Colyer, Ryan A.; Scalia, Giuseppe; Weiss, Shimon; Maccagnani, Piera; Gulinatti, Angelo; Rech, Ivan; Ghioni, Massimo

    2014-01-01

    Solution-based single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is a powerful experimental tool with applications in cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics. The basic feature of this technique is to excite and collect light from a very small volume and work in a low concentration regime resulting in rare burst-like events corresponding to the transit of a single molecule. Detecting photon bursts is a challenging task: the small number of emitted photons in each burst calls for high detector sensitivity. Bursts are very brief, requiring detectors with fast response time and capable of sustaining high count rates. Finally, many bursts need to be accumulated to achieve proper statistical accuracy, resulting in long measurement time unless parallelization strategies are implemented to speed up data acquisition. In this paper we will show that silicon single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) best meet the needs of single-molecule detection. We will review the key SPAD parameters and highlight the issues to be addressed in their design, fabrication and operation. After surveying the state-of-the-art SPAD technologies, we will describe our recent progress towards increasing the throughput of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy in solution using parallel arrays of SPADs. The potential of this approach is illustrated with single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer measurements. PMID:25309114

  3. Advanced time-correlated single photon counting applications

    CERN Document Server

    Becker, Wolfgang

    2015-01-01

    This book is an attempt to bridge the gap between the instrumental principles of multi-dimensional time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and typical applications of the technique. Written by an originator of the technique and by sucessful users, it covers the basic principles of the technique, its interaction with optical imaging methods and its application to a wide range of experimental tasks in life sciences and clinical research. The book is recommended for all users of time-resolved detection techniques in biology, bio-chemistry, spectroscopy of live systems, live cell microscopy, clinical imaging, spectroscopy of single molecules, and other applications that require the detection of low-level light signals at single-photon sensitivity and picosecond time resolution.

  4. Optimization of time-correlated single photon counting spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xiufeng; Du Haiying; Sun Jinsheng

    2011-01-01

    The paper proposes a performance improving scheme for the conventional time-correlated single photon counting spectrometer and develops a high speed data acquisition card based on PCI bus and FPGA technologies. The card is used to replace the multi-channel analyzer to improve the capability and decrease the volume of the spectrometer. The process of operation is introduced along with the integration of the spectrometer system. Many standard samples are measured. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the spectrometer is single photon counting, and the time resolution of fluorescence lifetime measurement can be picosecond level. The instrument could measure the time-resolved spectroscopy. (authors)

  5. Evaluation of the ID220 single photon avalanche diode for extended spectral range of photon time-of-flight spectroscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Otto Højager Attermann; Dahl, Anders Bjorholm; Anderson-Engels, Stefan

    This paper describe the performance of the ID220 single photon avalanche diode for single photon counting, and investigates its performance for photon time-of-flight (PToF) spectroscopy. At first this report will serve as a summary to the group for PToF spectroscopy at the Department of Physics...

  6. Photon-counting image sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Teranishi, Nobukazu; Theuwissen, Albert; Stoppa, David; Charbon, Edoardo

    2017-01-01

    The field of photon-counting image sensors is advancing rapidly with the development of various solid-state image sensor technologies including single photon avalanche detectors (SPADs) and deep-sub-electron read noise CMOS image sensor pixels. This foundational platform technology will enable opportunities for new imaging modalities and instrumentation for science and industry, as well as new consumer applications. Papers discussing various photon-counting image sensor technologies and selected new applications are presented in this all-invited Special Issue.

  7. Investigation of photon counting pixel detectors for X-ray spectroscopy and imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Talla, Patrick Takoukam

    2011-04-07

    The Medipix2 and Medipix3 detectors are hybrid pixelated photon counting detectors with a pixel pitch of 55 {mu}m. The sensor material used in this thesis was silicon. Because of their small pixel size they suffer from charge sharing i.e. an incoming photon can be registered by more than one pixel. In order to correct for charge sharing due to lateral diffusion of charge carriers, the Medipix3 detector was developed: with its Charge Summing Mode, the charge collected in a cluster of 2 x 2 pixel is added up and attributed to only one pixel whose counter is incremented. The adjustable threshold of the detectors allows to count the photons and to gain information on their energy. The main purposes of the thesis are to investigate spectral and imaging properties of pixelated photon counting detectors from the Medipix family such as Medipix2 and Medipix3. The investigations are based on simulations and measurements. In order to investigate the spectral properties of the detectors measurements were performed using fluorescence lines of materials such as molybdenum, silver but also some radioactive sources such as Am-241 or Cd-109. From the measured data, parameters like the threshold dispersion and the gain variation from pixel-to-pixel were extracted and used as input in the Monte Carlo code ROSI to model the responses of the detector to monoenergetic photons. The measured data are well described by the simulations for Medipix2 and for Medipix3 operating in Charge Summing Mode. Due to charge sharing and due to the energy dependence of attenuation processes in silicon and to Compton scattering the incoming and the measured spectrum differ substantially from each other. Since the responses to monoenergetic photons are known, a deconvolution was performed to determine the true incoming spectrum. Several direct and iterative methods were successfully applied on measured and simulated data of an X-ray tube and radioactive sources. The knowledge of the X-ray spectrum is

  8. Investigation of photon counting pixel detectors for X-ray spectroscopy and imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talla, Patrick Takoukam

    2011-01-01

    The Medipix2 and Medipix3 detectors are hybrid pixelated photon counting detectors with a pixel pitch of 55 μm. The sensor material used in this thesis was silicon. Because of their small pixel size they suffer from charge sharing i.e. an incoming photon can be registered by more than one pixel. In order to correct for charge sharing due to lateral diffusion of charge carriers, the Medipix3 detector was developed: with its Charge Summing Mode, the charge collected in a cluster of 2 x 2 pixel is added up and attributed to only one pixel whose counter is incremented. The adjustable threshold of the detectors allows to count the photons and to gain information on their energy. The main purposes of the thesis are to investigate spectral and imaging properties of pixelated photon counting detectors from the Medipix family such as Medipix2 and Medipix3. The investigations are based on simulations and measurements. In order to investigate the spectral properties of the detectors measurements were performed using fluorescence lines of materials such as molybdenum, silver but also some radioactive sources such as Am-241 or Cd-109. From the measured data, parameters like the threshold dispersion and the gain variation from pixel-to-pixel were extracted and used as input in the Monte Carlo code ROSI to model the responses of the detector to monoenergetic photons. The measured data are well described by the simulations for Medipix2 and for Medipix3 operating in Charge Summing Mode. Due to charge sharing and due to the energy dependence of attenuation processes in silicon and to Compton scattering the incoming and the measured spectrum differ substantially from each other. Since the responses to monoenergetic photons are known, a deconvolution was performed to determine the true incoming spectrum. Several direct and iterative methods were successfully applied on measured and simulated data of an X-ray tube and radioactive sources. The knowledge of the X-ray spectrum is

  9. High-Sensitivity Semiconductor Photocathodes for Space-Born UV Photon-Counting and Imaging, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Many UV photon-counting and imaging applications, including space-borne astronomy, missile tracking and guidance, UV spectroscopy for chemical/biological...

  10. On the performance of bioanalytical fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements in a multiparameter photon-counting microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mazouchi, Amir; Liu Baoxu; Bahram, Abdullah [Department of Physics, Institute for Optical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto (Canada); Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. N., Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 (Canada); Gradinaru, Claudiu C., E-mail: claudiu.gradinaru@utoronto.ca [Department of Physics, Institute for Optical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto (Canada); Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. N., Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 (Canada)

    2011-02-28

    Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) data acquisition and analysis routines were developed and implemented in a home-built, multiparameter photon-counting microscope. Laser excitation conditions were investigated for two representative fluorescent probes, Rhodamine110 and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Reliable local concentrations and diffusion constants were obtained by fitting measured FCS curves, provided that the excitation intensity did not exceed 20% of the saturation level for each fluorophore. Accurate results were obtained from FCS measurements for sample concentrations varying from pM to {mu}M range, as well as for conditions of high background signals. These experimental constraints were found to be determined by characteristics of the detection system and by the saturation behavior of the fluorescent probes. These factors actually limit the average number of photons that can be collected from a single fluorophore passing through the detection volume. The versatility of our setup and the data analysis capabilities were tested by measuring the mobility of EGFP in the nucleus of Drosophila cells under conditions of high concentration and molecular crowding. As a bioanalytical application, we studied by FCS the binding affinity of a novel peptide-based drug to the cancer-regulating STAT3 protein and corroborated the results with fluorescence polarization analysis derived from the same photon data.

  11. Multiple-Event, Single-Photon Counting Imaging Sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Xinyu; Cunningham, Thomas J.; Sun, Chao; Wang, Kang L.

    2011-01-01

    The single-photon counting imaging sensor is typically an array of silicon Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes that are monolithically integrated with CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) readout, signal processing, and addressing circuits located in each pixel and the peripheral area of the chip. The major problem is its single-event method for photon count number registration. A single-event single-photon counting imaging array only allows registration of up to one photon count in each of its pixels during a frame time, i.e., the interval between two successive pixel reset operations. Since the frame time can t be too short, this will lead to very low dynamic range and make the sensor merely useful for very low flux environments. The second problem of the prior technique is a limited fill factor resulting from consumption of chip area by the monolithically integrated CMOS readout in pixels. The resulting low photon collection efficiency will substantially ruin any benefit gained from the very sensitive single-photon counting detection. The single-photon counting imaging sensor developed in this work has a novel multiple-event architecture, which allows each of its pixels to register as more than one million (or more) photon-counting events during a frame time. Because of a consequently boosted dynamic range, the imaging array of the invention is capable of performing single-photon counting under ultra-low light through high-flux environments. On the other hand, since the multiple-event architecture is implemented in a hybrid structure, back-illumination and close-to-unity fill factor can be realized, and maximized quantum efficiency can also be achieved in the detector array.

  12. Advanced photon counting applications, methods, instrumentation

    CERN Document Server

    Kapusta, Peter; Erdmann, Rainer

    2015-01-01

    This volume focuses on Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC), a powerful tool allowing luminescence lifetime measurements to be made with high temporal resolution, even on single molecules. Combining spectrum and lifetime provides a "fingerprint" for identifying such molecules in the presence of a background. Used together with confocal detection, this permits single-molecule spectroscopy and microscopy in addition to ensemble measurements, opening up an enormous range of hot life science applications such as fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and measurement of Förster Resonant Energy Transfer (FRET) for the investigation of protein folding and interaction. Several technology-related chapters present both the basics and current state-of-the-art, in particular of TCSPC electronics, photon detectors and lasers. The remaining chapters cover a broad range of applications and methodologies for experiments and data analysis, including the life sciences, defect centers in diamonds, super-resolution micr...

  13. Photon counting and fluctuation of molecular movement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inohara, Koichi

    1978-01-01

    The direct measurement of the fluctuation of molecular motions, which provides with useful information on the molecular movement, was conducted by introducing photon counting method. The utilization of photon counting makes it possible to treat the molecular system consisting of a small number of molecules like a radioisotope in the detection of a small number of atoms, which are significant in biological systems. This method is based on counting the number of photons of the definite polarization emitted in a definite time interval from the fluorescent molecules excited by pulsed light, which are bound to the marked large molecules found in a definite spatial region. Using the probability of finding a number of molecules oriented in a definite direction in the definite spatial region, the probability of counting a number of photons in a definite time interval can be calculated. Thus the measurable count rate of photons can be related with the fluctuation of molecular movement. The measurement was carried out under the condition, in which the probability of the simultaneous arrival of more than two photons at a detector is less than 1/100. As the experimental results, the resolving power of photon-counting apparatus, the frequency distribution of the number of photons of some definite polarization counted for 1 nanosecond are shown. In the solution, the variance of the number of molecules of 500 on the average is 1200, which was estimated from the experimental data by assuming normal distribution. This departure from the Poisson distribution means that a certain correlation does exist in molecular movement. In solid solution, no significant deviation was observed. The correlation existing in molecular movement can be expressed in terms of the fluctuation of the number of molecules. (Nakai, Y.)

  14. Tutorial on X-ray photon counting detector characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Liqiang; Zheng, Bin; Liu, Hong

    2018-01-01

    Recent advances in photon counting detection technology have led to significant research interest in X-ray imaging. As a tutorial level review, this paper covers a wide range of aspects related to X-ray photon counting detector characterization. The tutorial begins with a detailed description of the working principle and operating modes of a pixelated X-ray photon counting detector with basic architecture and detection mechanism. Currently available methods and techniques for charactering major aspects including energy response, noise floor, energy resolution, count rate performance (detector efficiency), and charge sharing effect of photon counting detectors are comprehensively reviewed. Other characterization aspects such as point spread function (PSF), line spread function (LSF), contrast transfer function (CTF), modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), bias voltage, radiation damage, and polarization effect are also remarked. A cadmium telluride (CdTe) pixelated photon counting detector is employed for part of the characterization demonstration and the results are presented. This review can serve as a tutorial for X-ray imaging researchers and investigators to understand, operate, characterize, and optimize photon counting detectors for a variety of applications.

  15. Development of new photon-counting detectors for single-molecule fluorescence microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalet, X.; Colyer, R. A.; Scalia, G.; Ingargiola, A.; Lin, R.; Millaud, J. E.; Weiss, S.; Siegmund, Oswald H. W.; Tremsin, Anton S.; Vallerga, John V.; Cheng, A.; Levi, M.; Aharoni, D.; Arisaka, K.; Villa, F.; Guerrieri, F.; Panzeri, F.; Rech, I.; Gulinatti, A.; Zappa, F.; Ghioni, M.; Cova, S.

    2013-01-01

    Two optical configurations are commonly used in single-molecule fluorescence microscopy: point-like excitation and detection to study freely diffusing molecules, and wide field illumination and detection to study surface immobilized or slowly diffusing molecules. Both approaches have common features, but also differ in significant aspects. In particular, they use different detectors, which share some requirements but also have major technical differences. Currently, two types of detectors best fulfil the needs of each approach: single-photon-counting avalanche diodes (SPADs) for point-like detection, and electron-multiplying charge-coupled devices (EMCCDs) for wide field detection. However, there is room for improvements in both cases. The first configuration suffers from low throughput owing to the analysis of data from a single location. The second, on the other hand, is limited to relatively low frame rates and loses the benefit of single-photon-counting approaches. During the past few years, new developments in point-like and wide field detectors have started addressing some of these issues. Here, we describe our recent progresses towards increasing the throughput of single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy in solution using parallel arrays of SPADs. We also discuss our development of large area photon-counting cameras achieving subnanosecond resolution for fluorescence lifetime imaging applications at the single-molecule level. PMID:23267185

  16. A high-throughput, multi-channel photon-counting detector with picosecond timing

    CERN Document Server

    Lapington, J S; Miller, G M; Ashton, T J R; Jarron, P; Despeisse, M; Powolny, F; Howorth, J; Milnes, J

    2009-01-01

    High-throughput photon counting with high time resolution is a niche application area where vacuum tubes can still outperform solid-state devices. Applications in the life sciences utilizing time-resolved spectroscopies, particularly in the growing field of proteomics, will benefit greatly from performance enhancements in event timing and detector throughput. The HiContent project is a collaboration between the University of Leicester Space Research Centre, the Microelectronics Group at CERN, Photek Ltd., and end-users at the Gray Cancer Institute and the University of Manchester. The goal is to develop a detector system specifically designed for optical proteomics, capable of high content (multi-parametric) analysis at high throughput. The HiContent detector system is being developed to exploit this niche market. It combines multi-channel, high time resolution photon counting in a single miniaturized detector system with integrated electronics. The combination of enabling technologies; small pore microchanne...

  17. Optimization of a photon rejecter to separate electronic noise in a photon-counting detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Hyo-Min; Choi, Yu-Na; Lee, Seung-Wan; Lee, Young-Jin; Ryu, Hyun-Ju; Kim, Hee-Joung

    2012-01-01

    Photon-counting-based X-ray imaging technology provides the capability to count individual photons and to characterize photon energies. The cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based photon-counting detector is limited in capability, however, under a high X-ray flux. A photon rejecter composed of aluminum, for example, can reduce this limitation by modulating the incident number of photons. In addition to this function, the optimal photon rejecter can separate electronic noise, which degrades image quality. The aim of this work was to optimize a photon rejecter for high-quality image acquisition by removing electronic noise from the actual pulse signal. The images and spectra were acquired using a micro-focus X-ray source with a CdTe-based photon-counting detector. We acquired data with various types of photon-rejecter materials composed of aluminum (Al) and iodine at three different tube voltages (50, 70, and 90 kVp). A phantom composed of high-atomic-number materials was imaged to evaluate the efficiency of the photon rejecter. Photon rejecters composed of 1-mm Al, 10-mm Al, and a combination of 10-mm Al and iodine provided optimum capability at 50, 70, and 90 kVp, respectively. Each optimal combination of photon-rejecter material and voltage effectively separated electronic noise from the actual pulse signal and gave the highest contrast-to-noise ratio for materials on the image. These optimized types of photon rejecters can effectively discriminate electronic noise and improve image quality at different tube voltages.

  18. Photon Counting Using Edge-Detection Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gin, Jonathan W.; Nguyen, Danh H.; Farr, William H.

    2010-01-01

    New applications such as high-datarate, photon-starved, free-space optical communications require photon counting at flux rates into gigaphoton-per-second regimes coupled with subnanosecond timing accuracy. Current single-photon detectors that are capable of handling such operating conditions are designed in an array format and produce output pulses that span multiple sample times. In order to discern one pulse from another and not to overcount the number of incoming photons, a detection algorithm must be applied to the sampled detector output pulses. As flux rates increase, the ability to implement such a detection algorithm becomes difficult within a digital processor that may reside within a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Systems have been developed and implemented to both characterize gigahertz bandwidth single-photon detectors, as well as process photon count signals at rates into gigaphotons per second in order to implement communications links at SCPPM (serial concatenated pulse position modulation) encoded data rates exceeding 100 megabits per second with efficiencies greater than two bits per detected photon. A hardware edge-detection algorithm and corresponding signal combining and deserialization hardware were developed to meet these requirements at sample rates up to 10 GHz. The photon discriminator deserializer hardware board accepts four inputs, which allows for the ability to take inputs from a quadphoton counting detector, to support requirements for optical tracking with a reduced number of hardware components. The four inputs are hardware leading-edge detected independently. After leading-edge detection, the resultant samples are ORed together prior to deserialization. The deserialization is performed to reduce the rate at which data is passed to a digital signal processor, perhaps residing within an FPGA. The hardware implements four separate analog inputs that are connected through RF connectors. Each analog input is fed to a high-speed 1

  19. The intensity detection of single-photon detectors based on photon counting probability density statistics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zijing; Song Jie; Zhao Yuan; Wu Long

    2017-01-01

    Single-photon detectors possess the ultra-high sensitivity, but they cannot directly respond to signal intensity. Conventional methods adopt sampling gates with fixed width and count the triggered number of sampling gates, which is capable of obtaining photon counting probability to estimate the echo signal intensity. In this paper, we not only count the number of triggered sampling gates, but also record the triggered time position of photon counting pulses. The photon counting probability density distribution is obtained through the statistics of a series of the triggered time positions. Then Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimation (MVUE) method is used to estimate the echo signal intensity. Compared with conventional methods, this method can improve the estimation accuracy of echo signal intensity due to the acquisition of more detected information. Finally, a proof-of-principle laboratory system is established. The estimation accuracy of echo signal intensity is discussed and a high accuracy intensity image is acquired under low-light level environments. (paper)

  20. Three-dimensional passive sensing photon counting for object classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeom, Seokwon; Javidi, Bahram; Watson, Edward

    2007-04-01

    In this keynote address, we address three-dimensional (3D) distortion-tolerant object recognition using photon-counting integral imaging (II). A photon-counting linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is discussed for classification of photon-limited images. We develop a compact distortion-tolerant recognition system based on the multiple-perspective imaging of II. Experimental and simulation results have shown that a low level of photons is sufficient to classify out-of-plane rotated objects.

  1. Ultrafast time measurements by time-correlated single photon counting coupled with superconducting single photon detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shcheslavskiy, V., E-mail: vis@becker-hickl.de; Becker, W. [Becker & Hickl GmbH, Nahmitzer Damm 30, 12277 Berlin (Germany); Morozov, P.; Divochiy, A. [Scontel, Rossolimo St., 5/22-1, Moscow 119021 (Russian Federation); Vakhtomin, Yu. [Scontel, Rossolimo St., 5/22-1, Moscow 119021 (Russian Federation); Moscow State Pedagogical University, 1/1 M. Pirogovskaya St., Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Smirnov, K. [Scontel, Rossolimo St., 5/22-1, Moscow 119021 (Russian Federation); Moscow State Pedagogical University, 1/1 M. Pirogovskaya St., Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20 Myasnitskaya St., Moscow 101000 (Russian Federation)

    2016-05-15

    Time resolution is one of the main characteristics of the single photon detectors besides quantum efficiency and dark count rate. We demonstrate here an ultrafast time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) setup consisting of a newly developed single photon counting board SPC-150NX and a superconducting NbN single photon detector with a sensitive area of 7 × 7 μm. The combination delivers a record instrument response function with a full width at half maximum of 17.8 ps and system quantum efficiency ∼15% at wavelength of 1560 nm. A calculation of the root mean square value of the timing jitter for channels with counts more than 1% of the peak value yielded about 7.6 ps. The setup has also good timing stability of the detector–TCSPC board.

  2. In situ detection of warfarin using time-correlated single-photon counting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosengren, Annika M.; Karlsson, Bjoern C.G. [Bioorganic and Biophysical Chemistry Laboratory, School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar (Sweden); Naeslund, Inga; Andersson, Per Ola [Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI, CBRN Defence and Security, SE-901 82 Umea (Sweden); Nicholls, Ian A., E-mail: ian.a.nicholls@bioorg.uu.se [Bioorganic and Biophysical Chemistry Laboratory, School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar (Sweden); Department of Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory, Uppsala University, SE-751 23 Uppsala (Sweden)

    2011-04-01

    Highlights: {yields} Direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin. {yields} TCSPC spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. {yields} Development of sensor principle for use in clinical and environmental monitoring. -- Abstract: Here we report on a novel method for the direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin using time correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. The method is highly robust over the clinically significant concentration range, and demonstrates the potential of the binding site mimics in conjunction with the spectroscopic strategy employed here for the determination of this important pharmaceutical in clinical or even environmental samples.

  3. In situ detection of warfarin using time-correlated single-photon counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosengren, Annika M.; Karlsson, Bjoern C.G.; Naeslund, Inga; Andersson, Per Ola; Nicholls, Ian A.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin. → TCSPC spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. → Development of sensor principle for use in clinical and environmental monitoring. -- Abstract: Here we report on a novel method for the direct in situ measurement of specific isomeric forms of the anticoagulant warfarin using time correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) spectroscopy in conjunction with synthetic Sudlow I binding site receptors. The method is highly robust over the clinically significant concentration range, and demonstrates the potential of the binding site mimics in conjunction with the spectroscopic strategy employed here for the determination of this important pharmaceutical in clinical or even environmental samples.

  4. Fast pulse discriminator for photon counting at high photon densities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benoit, R.; Pedrini, A.

    1977-03-01

    A fast tunnel diode discriminator for photon counting up to 200MHz count frequency is described. The tunnel diode is operated on its apparent I.V. characteristics displayed when the diode is driven into its oscillating region. The pulse shaper-discriminator is completely D.C. coupled in order to avoid base-line shift at high pulse rates

  5. Near-field reflection backscattering apertureless optical microscopy: Application to spectroscopy experiments on opaque samples, comparison between lock-in and digital photon counting detection techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diziain, S.; Bijeon, J.-L.; Adam, P.-M.; Lamy de la Chapelle, M.; Thomas, B.; Deturche, R.; Royer, P.

    2007-01-01

    An apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope (ASNOM) in reflection backscattering configuration is designed to conduct spectroscopic experiments on opaque samples constituted of latex beads. The ASNOM proposed takes advantage of the depth-discrimination properties of confocal microscopes to efficiently extract the near-field optical signal. Given their importance in a spectroscopic experiment, we systematically compare the lock-in and synchronous photon counting detection methods. Some results of Rayleigh's scattering in the near field of the test samples are used to illustrate the possibilities of this technique for reflection backscattering spectroscopy

  6. Near-field reflection backscattering apertureless optical microscopy: Application to spectroscopy experiments on opaque samples, comparison between lock-in and digital photon counting detection techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diziain, S. [Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex (France); Bijeon, J.-L. [Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex (France)]. E-mail: bijeon@utt.fr; Adam, P.-M. [Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex (France); Lamy de la Chapelle, M. [Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex (France); Thomas, B. [Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex (France); Deturche, R. [Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex (France); Royer, P. [Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Universite de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex (France)

    2007-01-15

    An apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope (ASNOM) in reflection backscattering configuration is designed to conduct spectroscopic experiments on opaque samples constituted of latex beads. The ASNOM proposed takes advantage of the depth-discrimination properties of confocal microscopes to efficiently extract the near-field optical signal. Given their importance in a spectroscopic experiment, we systematically compare the lock-in and synchronous photon counting detection methods. Some results of Rayleigh's scattering in the near field of the test samples are used to illustrate the possibilities of this technique for reflection backscattering spectroscopy.

  7. Photon-Counting Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KID) for Far/Mid-Infrared Space Spectroscopy with the Origins Space Telescope (OST)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noroozian, Omid; Barrentine, Emily M.; Stevenson, Thomas R.; Brown, Ari D.; Moseley, Samuel Harvey; Wollack, Edward; Pontoppidan, Klaus Martin; U-Yen, Konpop; Mikula, Vilem

    2018-01-01

    Photon-counting detectors are highly desirable for reaching the ~ 10-20 W/√Hz power sensitivity permitted by the Origins Space Telescope (OST). We are developing unique Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) with photon counting capability in the far/mid-IR. Combined with an on-chip far-IR spectrometer onboard OST these detectors will enable a new data set for exploring galaxy evolution and the growth of structure in the Universe. Mid-IR spectroscopic surveys using these detectors will enable mapping the composition of key volatiles in planet-forming material around protoplanetary disks and their evolution into solar systems. While these OST science objectives represent a well-organized community agreement they are impossible to reach without a significant leap forward in detector technology, and the OST is likely not to be recommended if a path to suitable detectors does not exist.To reach the required sensitivity we are experimenting with superconducting resonators made from thin aluminum films on single-crystal silicon substrates. Under the right conditions, small-volume inductors made from these films can become ultra-sensitive to single photons >90 GHz. Understanding the physics of these superconductor-dielectric systems is critical to performance. We achieved a very high quality factor of 0.5 x 106 for a 10-nm Al resonator at n ~ 1 microwave photon drive power, by far the highest value for such thin films in the literature. We measured a residual electron density of detector when illuminated with randomly arriving photon events. Our results show that photon counting with >95% efficiency at 0.5 - 1.0 THz is achievable.We report on these developments and discuss plans to test in our facility through funding from our recently awarded ROSES-APRA grant and Roman Technology Fellowship award.

  8. Amplitude distributions of dark counts and photon counts in NbN superconducting single-photon detectors integrated with the HEMT readout

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kitaygorsky, J. [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, Delft University of Technology, 2600 GA Delft (Netherlands); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0231 (United States); Słysz, W., E-mail: wslysz@ite.waw.pl [Institute of Electron Technology, PL-02 668 Warsaw (Poland); Shouten, R.; Dorenbos, S.; Reiger, E.; Zwiller, V. [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, Delft University of Technology, 2600 GA Delft (Netherlands); Sobolewski, Roman [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0231 (United States)

    2017-01-15

    Highlights: • A new operation regime of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs). • A better understanding of the origin of dark counts generated by the detector. • A promise of PNR functionality in SSPD measurements. - Abstract: We present a new operation regime of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) by integrating them with a low-noise cryogenic high-electron-mobility transistor and a high-load resistor. The integrated sensors are designed to get a better understanding of the origin of dark counts triggered by the detector, as our scheme allows us to distinguish the origin of dark pulses from the actual photon pulses in SSPDs. The presented approach is based on a statistical analysis of amplitude distributions of recorded trains of the SSPD photoresponse transients. It also enables to obtain information on energy of the incident photons, as well as demonstrates some photon-number-resolving capability of meander-type SSPDs.

  9. Photon-counting single-molecule spectroscopy for studying conformational dynamics and macromolecular interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laurence, Ted Alfred [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2002-01-01

    Single-molecule methods have the potential to provide information about conformational dynamics and molecular interactions that cannot be obtained by other methods. Removal of ensemble averaging provides several benefits, including the ability to detect heterogeneous populations and the ability to observe asynchronous reactions. Single-molecule diffusion methodologies using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) are developed to monitor conformational dynamics while minimizing perturbations introduced by interactions between molecules and surfaces. These methods are used to perform studies of the folding of Chymotrypsin Inhibitor 2, a small, single-domain protein, and of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) homopolymers. Confocal microscopy is used in combination with sensitive detectors to detect bursts of photons from fluorescently labeled biomolecules as they diffuse through the focal volume. These bursts are analyzed to extract fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency. Advances in data acquisition and analysis techniques that are providing a more complete picture of the accessible molecular information are discussed. Photon Arrival-time Interval Distribution (PAID) analysis is a new method for monitoring macromolecular interactions by fluorescence detection with simultaneous determination of coincidence, brightness, diffusion time, and occupancy (proportional to concentration) of fluorescently-labeled molecules undergoing diffusion in a confocal detection volume. This method is based on recording the time of arrival of all detected photons, and then plotting the two-dimensional histogram of photon pairs, where one axis is the time interval between each pair of photons 1 and 2, and the second axis is the number of other photons detected in the time interval between photons 1 and 2. PAID is related to Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) by a collapse of this histogram onto the time interval axis. PAID extends auto- and cross-correlation FCS

  10. Photon-counting single-molecule spectroscopy for studying conformational dynamics and macromolecular interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laurence, Ted Alfred

    2002-01-01

    Single-molecule methods have the potential to provide information about conformational dynamics and molecular interactions that cannot be obtained by other methods. Removal of ensemble averaging provides several benefits, including the ability to detect heterogeneous populations and the ability to observe asynchronous reactions. Single-molecule diffusion methodologies using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) are developed to monitor conformational dynamics while minimizing perturbations introduced by interactions between molecules and surfaces. These methods are used to perform studies of the folding of Chymotrypsin Inhibitor 2, a small, single-domain protein, and of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) homopolymers. Confocal microscopy is used in combination with sensitive detectors to detect bursts of photons from fluorescently labeled biomolecules as they diffuse through the focal volume. These bursts are analyzed to extract fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency. Advances in data acquisition and analysis techniques that are providing a more complete picture of the accessible molecular information are discussed. Photon Arrival-time Interval Distribution (PAID) analysis is a new method for monitoring macromolecular interactions by fluorescence detection with simultaneous determination of coincidence, brightness, diffusion time, and occupancy (proportional to concentration) of fluorescently-labeled molecules undergoing diffusion in a confocal detection volume. This method is based on recording the time of arrival of all detected photons, and then plotting the two-dimensional histogram of photon pairs, where one axis is the time interval between each pair of photons 1 and 2, and the second axis is the number of other photons detected in the time interval between photons 1 and 2. PAID is related to Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) by a collapse of this histogram onto the time interval axis. PAID extends auto- and cross-correlation FCS

  11. The performance of photon counting imaging with a Geiger mode silicon avalanche photodiode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qu, Hui-Ming; Zhang, Yi-Fan; Ji, Zhong-Jie; Chen, Qian

    2013-01-01

    In principle, photon counting imaging can detect a photon. With the development of low-level-light image intensifier techniques and low-level-light detection devices, photon counting imaging can now detect photon images under extremely low illumination. Based on a Geiger mode silicon avalanche photodiode single photon counter, an experimental system for photon counting imaging was built through two-dimensional scanning of a SPAD (single photon avalanche diode) detector. The feasibility of the imaging platform was validated experimentally. Two images with different characteristics, namely, the USAF 1951 resolution test panel and the image of Lena, were chosen to evaluate the imaging performance of the experimental system. The results were compared and analysed. The imaging properties under various illumination and scanning steps were studied. The lowest illumination limit of the SPAD photon counting imaging was determined. (letter)

  12. Characterization of a new computer-ready photon counting system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andor, Gyorgy

    1998-08-01

    The photon-counting system seems to be the best solution for extremely low optical power measurements. The Hamamatsu HC135 photon counting module has a built-in high-voltage power supply amplifier, discriminator, micro-controller with an RS232 serial output. It requires only a +5V supply voltage and an IBM PC or compatible computer to run. The system is supplied with an application software. This talk is about the testing of the device.

  13. Novel Photon-Counting Detectors for Free-Space Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krainak, Michael A.; Yang, Guan; Sun, Xiaoli; Lu, Wei; Merritt, Scott; Beck, Jeff

    2016-01-01

    We present performance data for novel photon counting detectors for free space optical communication. NASA GSFC is testing the performance of three novel photon counting detectors 1) a 2x8 mercury cadmium telluride avalanche array made by DRS Inc. 2) a commercial 2880 silicon avalanche photodiode array and 3) a prototype resonant cavity silicon avalanche photodiode array. We will present and compare dark count, photon detection efficiency, wavelength response and communication performance data for these detectors. We discuss system wavelength trades and architectures for optimizing overall communication link sensitivity, data rate and cost performance. The HgCdTe APD array has photon detection efficiencies of greater than 50 were routinely demonstrated across 5 arrays, with one array reaching a maximum PDE of 70. High resolution pixel-surface spot scans were performed and the junction diameters of the diodes were measured. The junction diameter was decreased from 31 m to 25 m resulting in a 2x increase in e-APD gain from 470 on the 2010 array to 1100 on the array delivered to NASA GSFC. Mean single photon SNRs of over 12 were demonstrated at excess noise factors of 1.2-1.3.The commercial silicon APD array has a fast output with rise times of 300ps and pulse widths of 600ps. Received and filtered signals from the entire array are multiplexed onto this single fast output. The prototype resonant cavity silicon APD array is being developed for use at 1 micron wavelength.

  14. HgCdTe APD-based linear-mode photon counting components and ladar receivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jack, Michael; Wehner, Justin; Edwards, John; Chapman, George; Hall, Donald N. B.; Jacobson, Shane M.

    2011-05-01

    Linear mode photon counting (LMPC) provides significant advantages in comparison with Geiger Mode (GM) Photon Counting including absence of after-pulsing, nanosecond pulse to pulse temporal resolution and robust operation in the present of high density obscurants or variable reflectivity objects. For this reason Raytheon has developed and previously reported on unique linear mode photon counting components and modules based on combining advanced APDs and advanced high gain circuits. By using HgCdTe APDs we enable Poisson number preserving photon counting. A metric of photon counting technology is dark count rate and detection probability. In this paper we report on a performance breakthrough resulting from improvement in design, process and readout operation enabling >10x reduction in dark counts rate to ~10,000 cps and >104x reduction in surface dark current enabling long 10 ms integration times. Our analysis of key dark current contributors suggest that substantial further reduction in DCR to ~ 1/sec or less can be achieved by optimizing wavelength, operating voltage and temperature.

  15. Estimation of atomic interaction parameters by photon counting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiilerich, Alexander Holm; Mølmer, Klaus

    2014-01-01

    Detection of radiation signals is at the heart of precision metrology and sensing. In this article we show how the fluctuations in photon counting signals can be exploited to optimally extract information about the physical parameters that govern the dynamics of the emitter. For a simple two......-level emitter subject to photon counting, we show that the Fisher information and the Cram\\'er- Rao sensitivity bound based on the full detection record can be evaluated from the waiting time distribution in the fluorescence signal which can, in turn, be calculated for both perfect and imperfect detectors...

  16. Musculoskeletal imaging with a prototype photon-counting detector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruber, M; Homolka, P; Chmeissani, M; Uffmann, M; Pretterklieber, M; Kainberger, F

    2012-01-01

    To test a digital imaging X-ray device based on the direct capture of X-ray photons with pixel detectors, which are coupled with photon-counting readout electronics. The chip consists of a matrix of 256 × 256 pixels with a pixel pitch of 55 μm. A monolithic image of 11.2 cm × 7 cm was obtained by the consecutive displacement approach. Images of embalmed anatomical specimens of eight human hands were obtained at four different dose levels (skin dose 2.4, 6, 12, 25 μGy) with the new detector, as well as with a flat-panel detector. The overall rating scores for the evaluated anatomical regions ranged from 5.23 at the lowest dose level, 6.32 at approximately 6 μGy, 6.70 at 12 μGy, to 6.99 at the highest dose level with the photon-counting system. The corresponding rating scores for the flat-panel detector were 3.84, 5.39, 6.64, and 7.34. When images obtained at the same dose were compared, the new system outperformed the conventional DR system at the two lowest dose levels. At the higher dose levels, there were no significant differences between the two systems. The photon-counting detector has great potential to obtain musculoskeletal images of excellent quality at very low dose levels.

  17. Reduction of CMOS Image Sensor Read Noise to Enable Photon Counting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guidash, Michael; Ma, Jiaju; Vogelsang, Thomas; Endsley, Jay

    2016-04-09

    Recent activity in photon counting CMOS image sensors (CIS) has been directed to reduction of read noise. Many approaches and methods have been reported. This work is focused on providing sub 1 e(-) read noise by design and operation of the binary and small signal readout of photon counting CIS. Compensation of transfer gate feed-through was used to provide substantially reduced CDS time and source follower (SF) bandwidth. SF read noise was reduced by a factor of 3 with this method. This method can be applied broadly to CIS devices to reduce the read noise for small signals to enable use as a photon counting sensor.

  18. Improving the counting efficiency in time-correlated single photon counting experiments by dead-time optimization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peronio, P.; Acconcia, G.; Rech, I.; Ghioni, M. [Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

    2015-11-15

    Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) has been long recognized as the most sensitive method for fluorescence lifetime measurements, but often requiring “long” data acquisition times. This drawback is related to the limited counting capability of the TCSPC technique, due to pile-up and counting loss effects. In recent years, multi-module TCSPC systems have been introduced to overcome this issue. Splitting the light into several detectors connected to independent TCSPC modules proportionally increases the counting capability. Of course, multi-module operation also increases the system cost and can cause space and power supply problems. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach based on a new detector and processing electronics designed to reduce the overall system dead time, thus enabling efficient photon collection at high excitation rate. We present a fast active quenching circuit for single-photon avalanche diodes which features a minimum dead time of 12.4 ns. We also introduce a new Time-to-Amplitude Converter (TAC) able to attain extra-short dead time thanks to the combination of a scalable array of monolithically integrated TACs and a sequential router. The fast TAC (F-TAC) makes it possible to operate the system towards the upper limit of detector count rate capability (∼80 Mcps) with reduced pile-up losses, addressing one of the historic criticisms of TCSPC. Preliminary measurements on the F-TAC are presented and discussed.

  19. Photon-Counting Arrays for Time-Resolved Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Michel Antolovic

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a camera comprising 512 × 128 pixels capable of single-photon detection and gating with a maximum frame rate of 156 kfps. The photon capture is performed through a gated single-photon avalanche diode that generates a digital pulse upon photon detection and through a digital one-bit counter. Gray levels are obtained through multiple counting and accumulation, while time-resolved imaging is achieved through a 4-ns gating window controlled with subnanosecond accuracy by a field-programmable gate array. The sensor, which is equipped with microlenses to enhance its effective fill factor, was electro-optically characterized in terms of sensitivity and uniformity. Several examples of capture of fast events are shown to demonstrate the suitability of the approach.

  20. Ultrafast photon counting applied to resonant scanning STED microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xundong; Toro, Ligia; Stefani, Enrico; Wu, Yong

    2015-01-01

    To take full advantage of fast resonant scanning in super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, we have developed an ultrafast photon counting system based on a multigiga sample per second analogue-to-digital conversion chip that delivers an unprecedented 450 MHz pixel clock (2.2 ns pixel dwell time in each scan). The system achieves a large field of view (∼50 × 50 μm) with fast scanning that reduces photobleaching, and advances the time-gated continuous wave STED technology to the usage of resonant scanning with hardware-based time-gating. The assembled system provides superb signal-to-noise ratio and highly linear quantification of light that result in superior image quality. Also, the system design allows great flexibility in processing photon signals to further improve the dynamic range. In conclusion, we have constructed a frontier photon counting image acquisition system with ultrafast readout rate, excellent counting linearity, and with the capacity of realizing resonant-scanning continuous wave STED microscopy with online time-gated detection. © 2014 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2014 Royal Microscopical Society.

  1. The Goddard Integral Field Spectrograph at Apache Point Observatory: Current Status and Progress Towards Photon Counting

    Science.gov (United States)

    McElwain, Michael W.; Grady, Carol A.; Bally, John; Brinkmann, Jonathan V.; Bubeck, James; Gong, Qian; Hilton, George M.; Ketzeback, William F.; Lindler, Don; Llop Sayson, Jorge; Malatesta, Michael A.; Norton, Timothy; Rauscher, Bernard J.; Rothe, Johannes; Straka, Lorrie; Wilkins, Ashlee N.; Wisniewski, John P.; Woodgate, Bruce E.; York, Donald G.

    2015-01-01

    We present the current status and progress towards photon counting with the Goddard Integral Field Spectrograph (GIFS), a new instrument at the Apache Point Observatory's ARC 3.5m telescope. GIFS is a visible light imager and integral field spectrograph operating from 400-1000 nm over a 2.8' x 2.8' and 14' x 14' field of view, respectively. As an IFS, GIFS obtains over 1000 spectra simultaneously and its data reduction pipeline reconstructs them into an image cube that has 32 x 32 spatial elements and more than 200 spectral channels. The IFS mode can be applied to a wide variety of science programs including exoplanet transit spectroscopy, protostellar jets, the galactic interstellar medium probed by background quasars, Lyman-alpha emission line objects, and spectral imaging of galactic winds. An electron-multiplying CCD (EMCCD) detector enables photon counting in the high spectral resolution mode to be demonstrated at the ARC 3.5m in early 2015. The EMCCD work builds upon successful operational and characterization tests that have been conducted in the IFS laboratory at NASA Goddard. GIFS sets out to demonstrate an IFS photon-counting capability on-sky in preparation for future exoplanet direct imaging missions such as the AFTA-Coronagraph, Exo-C, and ATLAST mission concepts. This work is supported by the NASA APRA program under RTOP 10-APRA10-0103.

  2. Characterization of spectrometric photon-counting X-ray detectors at different pitches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurdit, M.; Brambilla, A.; Moulin, V.; Ouvrier-Buffet, P.; Radisson, P.; Verger, L.

    2017-09-01

    There is growing interest in energy-sensitive photon-counting detectors based on high flux X-ray imaging. Their potential applications include medical imaging, non-destructive testing and security. Innovative detectors of this type will need to count individual photons and sort them into selected energy bins, at several million counts per second and per mm2. Cd(Zn)Te detector grade materials with a thickness of 1.5 to 3 mm and pitches from 800 μm down to 200 μm were assembled onto interposer boards. These devices were tested using in-house-developed full-digital fast readout electronics. The 16-channel demonstrators, with 256 energy bins, were experimentally characterized by determining spectral resolution, count rate, and charge sharing, which becomes challenging at low pitch. Charge sharing correction was found to efficiently correct X-ray spectra up to 40 × 106 incident photons.s-1.mm-2.

  3. A high-throughput, multi-channel photon-counting detector with picosecond timing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapington, J. S.; Fraser, G. W.; Miller, G. M.; Ashton, T. J. R.; Jarron, P.; Despeisse, M.; Powolny, F.; Howorth, J.; Milnes, J.

    2009-06-01

    High-throughput photon counting with high time resolution is a niche application area where vacuum tubes can still outperform solid-state devices. Applications in the life sciences utilizing time-resolved spectroscopies, particularly in the growing field of proteomics, will benefit greatly from performance enhancements in event timing and detector throughput. The HiContent project is a collaboration between the University of Leicester Space Research Centre, the Microelectronics Group at CERN, Photek Ltd., and end-users at the Gray Cancer Institute and the University of Manchester. The goal is to develop a detector system specifically designed for optical proteomics, capable of high content (multi-parametric) analysis at high throughput. The HiContent detector system is being developed to exploit this niche market. It combines multi-channel, high time resolution photon counting in a single miniaturized detector system with integrated electronics. The combination of enabling technologies; small pore microchannel plate devices with very high time resolution, and high-speed multi-channel ASIC electronics developed for the LHC at CERN, provides the necessary building blocks for a high-throughput detector system with up to 1024 parallel counting channels and 20 ps time resolution. We describe the detector and electronic design, discuss the current status of the HiContent project and present the results from a 64-channel prototype system. In the absence of an operational detector, we present measurements of the electronics performance using a pulse generator to simulate detector events. Event timing results from the NINO high-speed front-end ASIC captured using a fast digital oscilloscope are compared with data taken with the proposed electronic configuration which uses the multi-channel HPTDC timing ASIC.

  4. A high-throughput, multi-channel photon-counting detector with picosecond timing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lapington, J.S.; Fraser, G.W.; Miller, G.M.; Ashton, T.J.R.; Jarron, P.; Despeisse, M.; Powolny, F.; Howorth, J.; Milnes, J.

    2009-01-01

    High-throughput photon counting with high time resolution is a niche application area where vacuum tubes can still outperform solid-state devices. Applications in the life sciences utilizing time-resolved spectroscopies, particularly in the growing field of proteomics, will benefit greatly from performance enhancements in event timing and detector throughput. The HiContent project is a collaboration between the University of Leicester Space Research Centre, the Microelectronics Group at CERN, Photek Ltd., and end-users at the Gray Cancer Institute and the University of Manchester. The goal is to develop a detector system specifically designed for optical proteomics, capable of high content (multi-parametric) analysis at high throughput. The HiContent detector system is being developed to exploit this niche market. It combines multi-channel, high time resolution photon counting in a single miniaturized detector system with integrated electronics. The combination of enabling technologies; small pore microchannel plate devices with very high time resolution, and high-speed multi-channel ASIC electronics developed for the LHC at CERN, provides the necessary building blocks for a high-throughput detector system with up to 1024 parallel counting channels and 20 ps time resolution. We describe the detector and electronic design, discuss the current status of the HiContent project and present the results from a 64-channel prototype system. In the absence of an operational detector, we present measurements of the electronics performance using a pulse generator to simulate detector events. Event timing results from the NINO high-speed front-end ASIC captured using a fast digital oscilloscope are compared with data taken with the proposed electronic configuration which uses the multi-channel HPTDC timing ASIC.

  5. Characterization of spectrometric photon-counting X-ray detectors at different pitches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jurdit, M.; Moulin, V.; Ouvrier-Buffet, P.; Verger, L.; Brambilla, A.; Radisson, P.

    2017-01-01

    There is growing interest in energy-sensitive photon-counting detectors based on high flux X-ray imaging. Their potential applications include medical imaging, non-destructive testing and security. Innovative detectors of this type will need to count individual photons and sort them into selected energy bins, at several million counts per second and per mm 2 . Cd(Zn)Te detector grade materials with a thickness of 1.5 to 3 mm and pitches from 800 μm down to 200 μm were assembled onto interposer boards. These devices were tested using in-house-developed full-digital fast readout electronics. The 16-channel demonstrators, with 256 energy bins, were experimentally characterized by determining spectral resolution, count rate, and charge sharing, which becomes challenging at low pitch. Charge sharing correction was found to efficiently correct X-ray spectra up to 40 × 10 6 incident photons.s −1 .mm −2 .

  6. Photon-counting multifactor optical encryption and authentication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pérez-Cabré, E; Millán, M S; Mohammed, E A; Saadon, H L

    2015-01-01

    The multifactor optical encryption authentication method [Opt. Lett., 31 721-3 (2006)] reinforces optical security by allowing the simultaneous authentication of up to four factors. In this work, the photon-counting imaging technique is applied to the multifactor encrypted function so that a sparse phase-only distribution is generated for the encrypted data. The integration of both techniques permits an increased capacity for signal hiding with simultaneous data reduction for better fulfilling the general requirements of protection, storage and transmission. Cryptanalysis of the proposed method is carried out in terms of chosen-plaintext and chosen-ciphertext attacks. Although the multifactor authentication process is not substantially altered by those attacks, its integration with the photon-counting imaging technique prevents from possible partial disclosure of any encrypted factor, thus increasing the security level of the overall process. Numerical experiments and results are provided and discussed. (paper)

  7. Increasing the collection efficiency of time-correlated single-photon counting with single-photon avalanche diodes using immersion lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pichette, Charles; Giudice, Andrea; Thibault, Simon; Bérubé-Lauzière, Yves

    2016-11-20

    Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) achieving high timing resolution (≈20-50  ps) developed for time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) generally have very small photosensitive areas (25-100 μm in diameter). This limits the achievable photon counting rate and signal-to-noise ratio and may lead to long counting times. This is detrimental in applications requiring several measurements, such as fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) microscopy, which requires scanning, and time-domain diffuse optical tomography (TD-DOT). We show in this work that the use of an immersion lens directly affixed onto the photosensitive area of the SPAD helps alleviate this problem by allowing more light to be concentrated onto the detector. Following careful optical design and simulations, our experimental results show that it is actually possible to achieve the predicted theoretical increase in the photon counting rate (we achieve a factor of ≈4 here). This work is of high relevance in high timing resolution TCSPC with small photosensitive area detectors and should find widespread interest in FLIM and TD-DOT with SPADs.

  8. Ultra-fast photon counting with a passive quenching silicon photomultiplier in the charge integration regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Guoqing; Lina, Liu

    2018-02-01

    An ultra-fast photon counting method is proposed based on the charge integration of output electrical pulses of passive quenching silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The results of the numerical analysis with actual parameters of SiPMs show that the maximum photon counting rate of a state-of-art passive quenching SiPM can reach ~THz levels which is much larger than that of the existing photon counting devices. The experimental procedure is proposed based on this method. This photon counting regime of SiPMs is promising in many fields such as large dynamic light power detection.

  9. Quantum Biometrics with Retinal Photon Counting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loulakis, M.; Blatsios, G.; Vrettou, C. S.; Kominis, I. K.

    2017-10-01

    It is known that the eye's scotopic photodetectors, rhodopsin molecules, and their associated phototransduction mechanism leading to light perception, are efficient single-photon counters. We here use the photon-counting principles of human rod vision to propose a secure quantum biometric identification based on the quantum-statistical properties of retinal photon detection. The photon path along the human eye until its detection by rod cells is modeled as a filter having a specific transmission coefficient. Precisely determining its value from the photodetection statistics registered by the conscious observer is a quantum parameter estimation problem that leads to a quantum secure identification method. The probabilities for false-positive and false-negative identification of this biometric technique can readily approach 10-10 and 10-4, respectively. The security of the biometric method can be further quantified by the physics of quantum measurements. An impostor must be able to perform quantum thermometry and quantum magnetometry with energy resolution better than 10-9ℏ , in order to foil the device by noninvasively monitoring the biometric activity of a user.

  10. Detectors for proton counting. Si-APD and scintillation detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kishimoto, Shunji

    2008-01-01

    Increased intensity of synchrotron radiation requests users to prepare photon pulse detectors having higher counting rates. As detectors for photon counting, silicon-avalanche photodiode (Si-APD) and scintillation detectors were chosen for the fifth series of detectors. Principle of photon detection by pulse and need of amplification function of the detector were described. Structure and working principle, high counting rate measurement system, bunch of electrons vs. counting rate, application example of NMR time spectroscopy measurement and comments for users were described for the Si-APD detector. Structure of scintillator and photomultiplier tube, characteristics of scintillator and performance of detector were shown for the NaI detector. Future development of photon pulse detectors was discussed. (T. Tanaka)

  11. Universal continuous-variable quantum computation: Requirement of optical nonlinearity for photon counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartlett, Stephen D.; Sanders, Barry C.

    2002-01-01

    Although universal continuous-variable quantum computation cannot be achieved via linear optics (including squeezing), homodyne detection, and feed-forward, inclusion of ideal photon-counting measurements overcomes this obstacle. These measurements are sometimes described by arrays of beam splitters to distribute the photons across several modes. We show that such a scheme cannot be used to implement ideal photon counting and that such measurements necessarily involve nonlinear evolution. However, this requirement of nonlinearity can be moved ''off-line,'' thereby permitting universal continuous-variable quantum computation with linear optics

  12. Counting constituents in molecular complexes by fluorescence photon antibunching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fore, S; Laurence, T; Hollars, C; Huser, T

    2007-04-17

    Modern single molecule fluorescence microscopy offers new, highly quantitative ways of studying the systems biology of cells while keeping the cells healthy and alive in their natural environment. In this context, a quantum optical technique, photon antibunching, has found a small niche in the continuously growing applications of single molecule techniques to small molecular complexes. Here, we review some of the most recent applications of photon antibunching in biophotonics, and we provide a guide for how to conduct photon antibunching experiments at the single molecule level by applying techniques borrowed from time-correlated single photon counting. We provide a number of new examples for applications of photon antibunching to the study of multichromophoric molecules and small molecular complexes.

  13. Single Photon Counting Performance and Noise Analysis of CMOS SPAD-Based Image Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutton, Neale A. W.; Gyongy, Istvan; Parmesan, Luca; Henderson, Robert K.

    2016-01-01

    SPAD-based solid state CMOS image sensors utilising analogue integrators have attained deep sub-electron read noise (DSERN) permitting single photon counting (SPC) imaging. A new method is proposed to determine the read noise in DSERN image sensors by evaluating the peak separation and width (PSW) of single photon peaks in a photon counting histogram (PCH). The technique is used to identify and analyse cumulative noise in analogue integrating SPC SPAD-based pixels. The DSERN of our SPAD image sensor is exploited to confirm recent multi-photon threshold quanta image sensor (QIS) theory. Finally, various single and multiple photon spatio-temporal oversampling techniques are reviewed. PMID:27447643

  14. Multimode model for projective photon-counting measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tualle-Brouri, Rosa; Ourjoumtsev, Alexei; Dantan, Aurelien; Grangier, Philippe; Wubs, Martijn; Soerensen, Anders S.

    2009-01-01

    We present a general model to account for the multimode nature of the quantum electromagnetic field in projective photon-counting measurements. We focus on photon-subtraction experiments, where non-Gaussian states are produced conditionally. These are useful states for continuous-variable quantum-information processing. We present a general method called mode reduction that reduces the multimode model to an effective two-mode problem. We apply this method to a multimode model describing broadband parametric down-conversion, thereby improving the analysis of existing experimental results. The main improvement is that spatial and frequency filters before the photon detector are taken into account explicitly. We find excellent agreement with previously published experimental results, using fewer free parameters than before, and discuss the implications of our analysis for the optimized production of states with negative Wigner functions.

  15. Modeling the frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency of photon-counting x-ray detectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stierstorfer, Karl

    2018-01-01

    To find a simple model for the frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of photon-counting detectors in the low flux limit. Formula for the spatial cross-talk, the noise power spectrum and the DQE of a photon-counting detector working at a given threshold are derived. Parameters are probabilities for types of events like single counts in the central pixel, double counts in the central pixel and a neighboring pixel or single count in a neighboring pixel only. These probabilities can be derived in a simple model by extensive use of Monte Carlo techniques: The Monte Carlo x-ray propagation program MOCASSIM is used to simulate the energy deposition from the x-rays in the detector material. A simple charge cloud model using Gaussian clouds of fixed width is used for the propagation of the electric charge generated by the primary interactions. Both stages are combined in a Monte Carlo simulation randomizing the location of impact which finally produces the required probabilities. The parameters of the charge cloud model are fitted to the spectral response to a polychromatic spectrum measured with our prototype detector. Based on the Monte Carlo model, the DQE of photon-counting detectors as a function of spatial frequency is calculated for various pixel sizes, photon energies, and thresholds. The frequency-dependent DQE of a photon-counting detector in the low flux limit can be described with an equation containing only a small set of probabilities as input. Estimates for the probabilities can be derived from a simple model of the detector physics. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  16. Characterization of Sphinx1 ASIC X-ray detector using photon counting and charge integration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habib, A.; Arques, M.; Moro, J.-L.; Accensi, M.; Stanchina, S.; Dupont, B.; Rohr, P.; Sicard, G.; Tchagaspanian, M.; Verger, L.

    2018-01-01

    Sphinx1 is a novel pixel architecture adapted for X-ray imaging, it detects radiation by photon counting and charge integration. In photon counting mode, each photon is compensated by one or more counter-charges typically consisting of 100 electrons (e-) each. The number of counter-charges required gives a measure of the incoming photon energy, thus allowing spectrometric detection. Pixels can also detect radiation by integrating the charges deposited by all incoming photons during one image frame and converting this analog value into a digital response with a 100 electrons least significant bit (LSB), based on the counter-charge concept. A proof of concept test chip measuring 5 mm × 5 mm, with 200 μm × 200 μm pixels has been produced and characterized. This paper provides details on the architecture and the counter-charge design; it also describes the two modes of operation: photon counting and charge integration. The first performance measurements for this test chip are presented. Noise was found to be ~80 e-rms in photon counting mode with a power consumption of only 0.9 μW/pixel for the static analog part and 0.3 μW/pixel for the static digital part.

  17. Low-noise low-jitter 32-pixels CMOS single-photon avalanche diodes array for single-photon counting from 300 nm to 900 nm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scarcella, Carmelo; Tosi, Alberto, E-mail: alberto.tosi@polimi.it; Villa, Federica; Tisa, Simone; Zappa, Franco [Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano (Italy)

    2013-12-15

    We developed a single-photon counting multichannel detection system, based on a monolithic linear array of 32 CMOS SPADs (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes). All channels achieve a timing resolution of 100 ps (full-width at half maximum) and a photon detection efficiency of 50% at 400 nm. Dark count rate is very low even at room temperature, being about 125 counts/s for 50 μm active area diameter SPADs. Detection performance and microelectronic compactness of this CMOS SPAD array make it the best candidate for ultra-compact time-resolved spectrometers with single-photon sensitivity from 300 nm to 900 nm.

  18. Photon-counting digital radiography using high-pressure xenon filled detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Li, Maozhen; Johns, P C

    2001-01-01

    Digital radiography overcomes many of the limitations of the traditional screen/film system. Further enhancements in the digital radiography image are possible if the X-ray image receptor could measure the energy of individual photons instead of simply integrating their energy, as is the case at present. A prototype photon counting scanned projection radiography system has been constructed, which combines a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) and a Gas Microstrip Detector (GMD) using Xe : CH sub 4 (90 : 10) at high pressure. With the gain contribution from the GEM, the GMD can be operated at lower and safer voltages making the imaging system more reliable. Good energy resolution, and spatial resolution comparable to that of screen/film, have been demonstrated for the GEM/GMD hybrid imaging system in photon counting mode for X-ray spectra up to 50 kV.

  19. Neutron radiography imaging with 2-dimensional photon counting method and its problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikeda, Y.; Kobayashi, H.; Niwa, T.; Kataoka, T.

    1988-01-01

    A ultra sensitive neutron imaging system has been deviced with a 2-dimensional photon counting camara (ARGUS 100). The imaging system is composed by a 2-dimensional single photon counting tube and a low background vidicon followed with an image processing unit and frame memories. By using the imaging system, electronic neutron radiography (NTV) has been possible under the neutron flux less than 3 x 10 4 n/cm 2 ·s. (author)

  20. Photon counting microstrip X-ray detectors with GaAs sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruat, M.; Andrä, M.; Bergamaschi, A.; Barten, R.; Brückner, M.; Dinapoli, R.; Fröjdh, E.; Greiffenberg, D.; Lopez-Cuenca, C.; Lozinskaya, A. D.; Mezza, D.; Mozzanica, A.; Novikov, V. A.; Ramilli, M.; Redford, S.; Ruder, C.; Schmitt, B.; Shi, X.; Thattil, D.; Tinti, G.; Tolbanov, O. P.; Tyazhev, A.; Vetter, S.; Zarubin, A. N.; Zhang, J.

    2018-01-01

    High-Z sensors are increasingly used to overcome the poor efficiency of Si sensors above 15 keV, and further extend the energy range of synchrotron and FEL experiments. Detector-grade GaAs sensors of 500 μm thickness offer 98% absorption efficiency at 30 keV and 50% at 50 keV . In this work we assess the usability of GaAs sensors in combination with the MYTHEN photon-counting microstrip readout chip developed at PSI. Different strip length and pitch are compared, and the detector performance is evaluated in regard of the sensor material properties. Despite increased leakage current and noise, photon-counting strips mounted with GaAs sensors can be used with photons of energy as low as 5 keV, and exhibit excellent linearity with energy. The charge sharing is doubled as compared to silicon strips, due to the high diffusion coefficient of electrons in GaAs.

  1. Photon Counting Energy Dispersive Detector Arrays for X-ray Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwanczyk, Jan S; Nygård, Einar; Meirav, Oded; Arenson, Jerry; Barber, William C; Hartsough, Neal E; Malakhov, Nail; Wessel, Jan C

    2009-01-01

    The development of an innovative detector technology for photon-counting in X-ray imaging is reported. This new generation of detectors, based on pixellated cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector arrays electrically connected to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for readout, will produce fast and highly efficient photon-counting and energy-dispersive X-ray imaging. There are a number of applications that can greatly benefit from these novel imagers including mammography, planar radiography, and computed tomography (CT). Systems based on this new detector technology can provide compositional analysis of tissue through spectroscopic X-ray imaging, significantly improve overall image quality, and may significantly reduce X-ray dose to the patient. A very high X-ray flux is utilized in many of these applications. For example, CT scanners can produce ~100 Mphotons/mm(2)/s in the unattenuated beam. High flux is required in order to collect sufficient photon statistics in the measurement of the transmitted flux (attenuated beam) during the very short time frame of a CT scan. This high count rate combined with a need for high detection efficiency requires the development of detector structures that can provide a response signal much faster than the transit time of carriers over the whole detector thickness. We have developed CdTe and CZT detector array structures which are 3 mm thick with 16×16 pixels and a 1 mm pixel pitch. These structures, in the two different implementations presented here, utilize either a small pixel effect or a drift phenomenon. An energy resolution of 4.75% at 122 keV has been obtained with a 30 ns peaking time using discrete electronics and a (57)Co source. An output rate of 6×10(6) counts per second per individual pixel has been obtained with our ASIC readout electronics and a clinical CT X-ray tube. Additionally, the first clinical CT images, taken with several of our prototype photon-counting and

  2. TU-FG-209-03: Exploring the Maximum Count Rate Capabilities of Photon Counting Arrays Based On Polycrystalline Silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liang, A K; Koniczek, M; Antonuk, L E; El-Mohri, Y; Zhao, Q [University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Photon counting arrays (PCAs) offer several advantages over conventional, fluence-integrating x-ray imagers, such as improved contrast by means of energy windowing. For that reason, we are exploring the feasibility and performance of PCA pixel circuitry based on polycrystalline silicon. This material, unlike the crystalline silicon commonly used in photon counting detectors, lends itself toward the economic manufacture of radiation tolerant, monolithic large area (e.g., ∼43×43 cm2) devices. In this presentation, exploration of maximum count rate, a critical performance parameter for such devices, is reported. Methods: Count rate performance for a variety of pixel circuit designs was explored through detailed circuit simulations over a wide range of parameters (including pixel pitch and operating conditions) with the additional goal of preserving good energy resolution. The count rate simulations assume input events corresponding to a 72 kVp x-ray spectrum with 20 mm Al filtration interacting with a CZT detector at various input flux rates. Output count rates are determined at various photon energy threshold levels, and the percentage of counts lost (e.g., due to deadtime or pile-up) is calculated from the ratio of output to input counts. The energy resolution simulations involve thermal and flicker noise originating from each circuit element in a design. Results: Circuit designs compatible with pixel pitches ranging from 250 to 1000 µm that allow count rates over a megacount per second per pixel appear feasible. Such rates are expected to be suitable for radiographic and fluoroscopic imaging. Results for the analog front-end circuitry of the pixels show that acceptable energy resolution can also be achieved. Conclusion: PCAs created using polycrystalline silicon have the potential to offer monolithic large-area detectors with count rate performance comparable to those of crystalline silicon detectors. Further improvement through detailed circuit

  3. Photon counting with small pore microchannel plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martindale, A.; Lapington, J.S.; Fraser, G.W.

    2007-01-01

    We describe the operation of microchannel plates (MCPs) with 3.2μm diameter channels as photon counting detectors of soft X-rays. Gain and temporal resolution measurements are compared with theoretical scaling laws for channel diameter. A minimum pulse width of 264ps is observed for a two stage multiplier at a total bias voltage of ∼1930V

  4. Positron annihilation spectroscopy using high-energy photons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butterling, Maik; Jungmann, Marco; Krause-Rehberg, Reinhard; Krille, Arnold; Anwand, Wolfgang; Brauer, Gerhard; Cowan, Thomas E.; Hartmann, Andreas; Kosev, Krasimir; Schwengner, Ronald; Wagner, Andreas

    2010-01-01

    The superconducting electron accelerator ELBE (Electron Linac with high Brilliance and low Emittance) at the Research Centre Dresden-Rossendorf (Germany) serves as a high-intensity bremsstrahlung photon-source delivering a pulsed beam (26 MHz) with very short bunches (<5 ps). The photons are being converted into positrons by means of pair production inside the target material thus forming an intense positron source. The accelerator machine pulse is used as time reference allowing positron lifetime spectroscopy. We performed positron annihilation spectroscopy by pair production in different sample materials and used coincidence techniques to reduce the background due to scattered photons significantly in order resulting in spectra of extraordinary high quality. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  5. Time-over-threshold readout to enhance the high flux capabilities of single-photon-counting detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergamaschi, Anna; Dinapoli, Roberto; Greiffenberg, Dominic; Henrich, Beat; Johnson, Ian; Mozzanica, Aldo; Radicci, Valeria; Schmitt, Bernd; Shi, Xintian; Stoppani, Laura

    2011-01-01

    The MYTHEN photon-counting ASIC operated in time-over-threshold mode shows an innovative approach towards the development of a detector operating with very high photon intensities while maintaining the single-photon sensitivity for synchrotron radiation experiments. The MYTHEN single-photon-counting (SPC) detector has been characterized using the time-over-threshold (ToT) readout method, i.e. measuring the time that the signal produced by the detected X-rays remains above the comparator threshold. In the following it is shown that the ToT readout preserves the sensitivity, dynamic range and capability of background suppression of the SPC mode, while enhancing the count-rate capability, which is the main limitation of state-of-the-art SPC systems

  6. Time-over-threshold readout to enhance the high flux capabilities of single-photon-counting detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergamaschi, Anna, E-mail: anna.bergamaschi@psi.ch; Dinapoli, Roberto; Greiffenberg, Dominic; Henrich, Beat; Johnson, Ian; Mozzanica, Aldo; Radicci, Valeria; Schmitt, Bernd; Shi, Xintian; Stoppani, Laura [Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland)

    2011-11-01

    The MYTHEN photon-counting ASIC operated in time-over-threshold mode shows an innovative approach towards the development of a detector operating with very high photon intensities while maintaining the single-photon sensitivity for synchrotron radiation experiments. The MYTHEN single-photon-counting (SPC) detector has been characterized using the time-over-threshold (ToT) readout method, i.e. measuring the time that the signal produced by the detected X-rays remains above the comparator threshold. In the following it is shown that the ToT readout preserves the sensitivity, dynamic range and capability of background suppression of the SPC mode, while enhancing the count-rate capability, which is the main limitation of state-of-the-art SPC systems.

  7. Coherence modulation at the photon-counting level: A new scheme for secure communication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhodes, William T; Boughanmi, Abdellatif; Moreno, Yezid Torres

    2016-01-01

    When operated at the photon-counting level, coherence modulation can provide quantifiably secure binary signal transmission between two entities, security being based on the nonclonability of photons. (paper)

  8. A Multispectral Photon-Counting Double Random Phase Encoding Scheme for Image Authentication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faliu Yi

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a new method for color image-based authentication that combines multispectral photon-counting imaging (MPCI and double random phase encoding (DRPE schemes. The sparsely distributed information from MPCI and the stationary white noise signal from DRPE make intruder attacks difficult. In this authentication method, the original multispectral RGB color image is down-sampled into a Bayer image. The three types of color samples (red, green and blue color in the Bayer image are encrypted with DRPE and the amplitude part of the resulting image is photon counted. The corresponding phase information that has nonzero amplitude after photon counting is then kept for decryption. Experimental results show that the retrieved images from the proposed method do not visually resemble their original counterparts. Nevertheless, the original color image can be efficiently verified with statistical nonlinear correlations. Our experimental results also show that different interpolation algorithms applied to Bayer images result in different verification effects for multispectral RGB color images.

  9. A multispectral photon-counting double random phase encoding scheme for image authentication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Faliu; Moon, Inkyu; Lee, Yeon H

    2014-05-20

    In this paper, we propose a new method for color image-based authentication that combines multispectral photon-counting imaging (MPCI) and double random phase encoding (DRPE) schemes. The sparsely distributed information from MPCI and the stationary white noise signal from DRPE make intruder attacks difficult. In this authentication method, the original multispectral RGB color image is down-sampled into a Bayer image. The three types of color samples (red, green and blue color) in the Bayer image are encrypted with DRPE and the amplitude part of the resulting image is photon counted. The corresponding phase information that has nonzero amplitude after photon counting is then kept for decryption. Experimental results show that the retrieved images from the proposed method do not visually resemble their original counterparts. Nevertheless, the original color image can be efficiently verified with statistical nonlinear correlations. Our experimental results also show that different interpolation algorithms applied to Bayer images result in different verification effects for multispectral RGB color images.

  10. Reconfigurable Computing As an Enabling Technology for Single-Photon-Counting Laser Altimetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, Wesley; Hicks, Edward; Pinchinat, Maxime; Dabney, Philip; McGarry, Jan; Murray, Paul

    2003-01-01

    Single-photon-counting laser altimetry is a new measurement technique offering significant advantages in vertical resolution, reducing instrument size, mass, and power, and reducing laser complexity as compared to analog or threshold detection laser altimetry techniques. However, these improvements come at the cost of a dramatically increased requirement for onboard real-time data processing. Reconfigurable computing has been shown to offer considerable performance advantages in performing this processing. These advantages have been demonstrated on the Multi-KiloHertz Micro-Laser Altimeter (MMLA), an aircraft based single-photon-counting laser altimeter developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with several potential spaceflight applications. This paper describes how reconfigurable computing technology was employed to perform MMLA data processing in real-time under realistic operating constraints, along with the results observed. This paper also expands on these prior results to identify concepts for using reconfigurable computing to enable spaceflight single-photon-counting laser altimeter instruments.

  11. Low-Noise Free-Running High-Rate Photon-Counting for Space Communication and Ranging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Wei; Krainak, Michael A.; Yang, Guan; Sun, Xiaoli; Merritt, Scott

    2016-01-01

    We present performance data for low-noise free-running high-rate photon counting method for space optical communication and ranging. NASA GSFC is testing the performance of two types of novel photon-counting detectors 1) a 2x8 mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) avalanche array made by DRS Inc., and a 2) a commercial 2880-element silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) array. We successfully measured real-time communication performance using both the 2 detected-photon threshold and logic AND-gate coincidence methods. Use of these methods allows mitigation of dark count, after-pulsing and background noise effects without using other method of Time Gating The HgCdTe APD array routinely demonstrated very high photon detection efficiencies (50) at near infrared wavelength. The commercial silicon APD array exhibited a fast output with rise times of 300 ps and pulse widths of 600 ps. On-chip individually filtered signals from the entire array were multiplexed onto a single fast output. NASA GSFC has tested both detectors for their potential application for space communications and ranging. We developed and compare their performances using both the 2 detected photon threshold and coincidence methods.

  12. K-edge energy-based calibration method for photon counting detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Yongshuai; Ji, Xu; Zhang, Ran; Li, Ke; Chen, Guang-Hong

    2018-01-01

    In recent years, potential applications of energy-resolved photon counting detectors (PCDs) in the x-ray medical imaging field have been actively investigated. Unlike conventional x-ray energy integration detectors, PCDs count the number of incident x-ray photons within certain energy windows. For PCDs, the interactions between x-ray photons and photoconductor generate electronic voltage pulse signals. The pulse height of each signal is proportional to the energy of the incident photons. By comparing the pulse height with the preset energy threshold values, x-ray photons with specific energies are recorded and sorted into different energy bins. To quantitatively understand the meaning of the energy threshold values, and thus to assign an absolute energy value to each energy bin, energy calibration is needed to establish the quantitative relationship between the threshold values and the corresponding effective photon energies. In practice, the energy calibration is not always easy, due to the lack of well-calibrated energy references for the working energy range of the PCDs. In this paper, a new method was developed to use the precise knowledge of the characteristic K-edge energy of materials to perform energy calibration. The proposed method was demonstrated using experimental data acquired from three K-edge materials (viz., iodine, gadolinium, and gold) on two different PCDs (Hydra and Flite, XCounter, Sweden). Finally, the proposed energy calibration method was further validated using a radioactive isotope (Am-241) with a known decay energy spectrum.

  13. Photon counting imaging and centroiding with an electron-bombarded CCD using single molecule localisation software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirvonen, Liisa M.; Barber, Matthew J.; Suhling, Klaus

    2016-01-01

    Photon event centroiding in photon counting imaging and single-molecule localisation in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy share many traits. Although photon event centroiding has traditionally been performed with simple single-iteration algorithms, we recently reported that iterative fitting algorithms originally developed for single-molecule localisation fluorescence microscopy work very well when applied to centroiding photon events imaged with an MCP-intensified CMOS camera. Here, we have applied these algorithms for centroiding of photon events from an electron-bombarded CCD (EBCCD). We find that centroiding algorithms based on iterative fitting of the photon events yield excellent results and allow fitting of overlapping photon events, a feature not reported before and an important aspect to facilitate an increased count rate and shorter acquisition times.

  14. Fast imaging by photon counting application to long-baseline optical stellar interferometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morel, Sebastien

    1998-01-01

    Image acquisition by photon counting in the visible spectrum with a high precision on photo-events dating is especially useful for ground-based observations. In the first part of this thesis, and after a review of several techniques for photon acquisition and processing, I introduce a new type of photon counting camera, noticeable for its high temporal resolution and its high maximum counting rate: the DELTA (Detector Enhancement by Linear-projections on Three Axes) camera. I describe the concept of this camera, and the engineering solutions (optics, electronics, computing) that could be used for its construction. The second part of my work regards fringe detection and tracking in ground-based and long- baseline optical stellar interferometry. After a statistical approach of the issue, I describe methods introducing a priori information in the data, in order to have a better detection efficiency. One of the proposed methods, using a priori information on the atmospheric piston, requires a precise photo-event dating, and therefore uses methods described in the first part. (author) [fr

  15. Applications of photon-in, photon-out spectroscopy with third-generation, synchrotron-radiation sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindle, D.W.; Perera, R.C.C.

    1991-01-01

    This report discusses the following topics: Mother nature's finest test probe; soft x-ray emission spectroscopy with high-brightness synchrotron radiation sources; anisotropy and polarization of x-ray emission from atoms and molecules; valence-hole fluorescence from molecular photoions as a probe of shape-resonance ionization: progress and prospects; structural biophysics on third-generation synchrotron sources; ultra-soft x-ray fluorescence-yield XAFS: an in situ photon-in, photon-out spectroscopy; and x-ray microprobe: an analytical tool for imaging elemental composition and microstructure

  16. Broadband high-resolution two-photon spectroscopy with laser frequency combs

    OpenAIRE

    Hipke, Arthur; Meek, Samuel A.; Ideguchi, Takuro; Hänsch, Theodor W.; Picqué, Nathalie

    2013-01-01

    Two-photon excitation spectroscopy with broad spectral span is demonstrated at Doppler-limited resolution. We describe first Fourier transform two-photon spectroscopy of an atomic sample with two mode-locked laser oscillators in a dual-comb technique. Each transition is uniquely identified by the modulation imparted by the interfering comb excitations. The temporal modulation of the spontaneous two-photon fluorescence is monitored with a single photodetector, and the spectrum is revealed by a...

  17. Single Photon Counting UV Solar-Blind Detectors Using Silicon and III-Nitride Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikzad, Shouleh; Hoenk, Michael; Jewell, April D.; Hennessy, John J.; Carver, Alexander G.; Jones, Todd J.; Goodsall, Timothy M.; Hamden, Erika T.; Suvarna, Puneet; Bulmer, J.; Shahedipour-Sandvik, F.; Charbon, Edoardo; Padmanabhan, Preethi; Hancock, Bruce; Bell, L. Douglas

    2016-01-01

    Ultraviolet (UV) studies in astronomy, cosmology, planetary studies, biological and medical applications often require precision detection of faint objects and in many cases require photon-counting detection. We present an overview of two approaches for achieving photon counting in the UV. The first approach involves UV enhancement of photon-counting silicon detectors, including electron multiplying charge-coupled devices and avalanche photodiodes. The approach used here employs molecular beam epitaxy for delta doping and superlattice doping for surface passivation and high UV quantum efficiency. Additional UV enhancements include antireflection (AR) and solar-blind UV bandpass coatings prepared by atomic layer deposition. Quantum efficiency (QE) measurements show QE > 50% in the 100–300 nm range for detectors with simple AR coatings, and QE ≅ 80% at ~206 nm has been shown when more complex AR coatings are used. The second approach is based on avalanche photodiodes in III-nitride materials with high QE and intrinsic solar blindness. PMID:27338399

  18. Characterization of photon-counting multislit breast tomosynthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berggren, Karl; Cederström, Björn; Lundqvist, Mats; Fredenberg, Erik

    2018-02-01

    It has been shown that breast tomosynthesis may improve sensitivity and specificity compared to two-dimensional mammography, resulting in increased detection-rate of cancers or lowered call-back rates. The purpose of this study is to characterize a spectral photon-counting multislit breast tomosynthesis system that is able to do single-scan spectral imaging with multiple collimated x-ray beams. The system differs in many aspects compared to conventional tomosynthesis using energy-integrating flat-panel detectors. The investigated system was a prototype consisting of a dual-threshold photon-counting detector with 21 collimated line detectors scanning across the compressed breast. A review of the system is done in terms of detector, acquisition geometry, and reconstruction methods. Three reconstruction methods were used, simple back-projection, filtered back-projection and an iterative algebraic reconstruction technique. The image quality was evaluated by measuring the modulation transfer-function (MTF), normalized noise-power spectrum, detective quantum-efficiency (DQE), and artifact spread-function (ASF) on reconstructed spectral tomosynthesis images for a total-energy bin (defined by a low-energy threshold calibrated to remove electronic noise) and for a high-energy bin (with a threshold calibrated to split the spectrum in roughly equal parts). Acquisition was performed using a 29 kVp W/Al x-ray spectrum at a 0.24 mGy exposure. The difference in MTF between the two energy bins was negligible, that is, there was no energy dependence on resolution. The MTF dropped to 50% at 1.5 lp/mm to 2.3 lp/mm in the scan direction and 2.4 lp/mm to 3.3 lp/mm in the slit direction, depending on the reconstruction method. The full width at half maximum of the ASF was found to range from 13.8 mm to 18.0 mm for the different reconstruction methods. The zero-frequency DQE of the system was found to be 0.72. The fraction of counts in the high-energy bin was measured to be 59% of the

  19. Direct photon-counting scintillation detector readout using an SSPM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stapels, Christopher J.; Squillante, Michael R.; Lawrence, William G.; Augustine, Frank L.; Christian, James F.

    2007-01-01

    Gamma-ray detector technologies, capable of providing adequate energy information, use photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) or silicon avalanche photodiodes to detect the light pulse from a scintillation crystal. A new approach to detect the light from scintillation materials is to use an array of small photon counting detectors, or a 'detector-on-a-chip' based on a novel 'Solid-state Photomultiplier' (SSPM) concept. A CMOS SSPM coupled to a scintillation crystal uses an array of CMOS Geiger photodiode (GPD) pixels to collect light and produce a signal proportional to the energy of the radiation. Each pixel acts as a binary photon detector, but the summed output is an analog representation of the total photon intensity. We have successfully fabricated arrays of GPD pixels in a CMOS environment, which makes possible the production of miniaturized arrays integrated with the detector electronics in a small silicon chip. This detector technology allows for a substantial cost reduction while preserving the energy resolution needed for radiological measurements. In this work, we compare designs for the SSPM detector. One pixel design achieves maximum detection efficiency (DE) for 632-nm photons approaching 30% with a room temperature dark count rate (DCR) of less than 1 kHz for a 30-μm-diameter pixel. We characterize after pulsing and optical cross talk and discuss their effects on the performance of the SSPM. For 30-μm diameter, passively quenched CMOS GPD pixels, modeling suggests that a pixel spacing of approximately 90 μm optimizes the SSPM performance with respect to DE and cross talk

  20. High-resolution two-photon spectroscopy of a 5 p56 p ←5 p6 transition of xenon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altiere, Emily; Miller, Eric R.; Hayamizu, Tomohiro; Jones, David J.; Madison, Kirk W.; Momose, Takamasa

    2018-01-01

    We report high-resolution Doppler-free two-photon excitation spectroscopy of Xe from the ground state to the 5 p5(P 3 /2 2 ) 6 p [3 /2 ] 2 2 electronic excited state. This is a first step to developing a comagnetometer using polarized 129Xe atoms for planned neutron electric dipole moment measurements at TRIUMF. Narrow linewidth radiation at 252.5 nm produced by a continuous wave laser was built up in an optical cavity to excite the two-photon transition, and the near-infrared emission from the 5 p56 p excited state to the 5 p56 s intermediate electronic state was used to detect the two-photon transition. Hyperfine constants and isotope shift parameters were evaluated and compared with previously reported values. In addition, the detected photon count rate was estimated from the observed intensities.

  1. Photon Counting System for High-Sensitivity Detection of Bioluminescence at Optical Fiber End.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iinuma, Masataka; Kadoya, Yutaka; Kuroda, Akio

    2016-01-01

    The technique of photon counting is widely used for various fields and also applicable to a high-sensitivity detection of luminescence. Thanks to recent development of single photon detectors with avalanche photodiodes (APDs), the photon counting system with an optical fiber has become powerful for a detection of bioluminescence at an optical fiber end, because it allows us to fully use the merits of compactness, simple operation, highly quantum efficiency of the APD detectors. This optical fiber-based system also has a possibility of improving the sensitivity to a local detection of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by high-sensitivity detection of the bioluminescence. In this chapter, we are introducing a basic concept of the optical fiber-based system and explaining how to construct and use this system.

  2. The Slope Imaging Multi-Polarization Photon-Counting Lidar: Development and Performance Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabney, Phillip

    2010-01-01

    The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar is an airborne instrument developed to demonstrate laser altimetry measurement methods that will enable more efficient observations of topography and surface properties from space. The instrument was developed through the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program with a focus on cryosphere remote sensing. The SIMPL transmitter is an 11 KHz, 1064 nm, plane-polarized micropulse laser transmitter that is frequency doubled to 532 nm and split into four push-broom beams. The receiver employs single-photon, polarimetric ranging at 532 and 1064 nm using Single Photon Counting Modules in order to achieve simultaneous sampling of surface elevation, slope, roughness and depolarizing scattering properties, the latter used to differentiate surface types. Data acquired over ice-covered Lake Erie in February, 2009 are documenting SIMPL s measurement performance and capabilities, demonstrating differentiation of open water and several ice cover types. ICESat-2 will employ several of the technologies advanced by SIMPL, including micropulse, single photon ranging in a multi-beam, push-broom configuration operating at 532 nm.

  3. Conversion of Beckman DK-2A spectrophotometer into an automatic single-photon counting fluorescence spectrophotometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chikkur, G.C.; Lagare, M.T.; Umakantha, N.

    1981-01-01

    Details of how a DK-2A spectrophotometer can be modified into an automatic single-photon counting fluorescence spectrophotometer for recording a low intensity spectrum, are reported. The single-photon count-rate converted into a DC voltage is applied at the appropriate stage in the sample channel amplifier circuit of a DK-2A to get the pen deflection proportional to the count-rate. A high intensity spectrum may be recorded in the usual way by merely turning the shaft of the mirror motor by 180 degrees. (author)

  4. Development of a photon-cell interactive monte carlo simulation for non-invasive measurement of blood glucose level by Raman spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakota, Daisuke; Kosaka, Ryo; Nishida, Masahiro; Maruyama, Osamu

    2015-01-01

    Turbidity variation is one of the major limitations in Raman spectroscopy for quantifying blood components, such as glucose, non-invasively. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a Raman scattering simulation using a photon-cell interactive Monte Carlo (pciMC) model that tracks photon migration in both the extra- and intracellular spaces without relying on the macroscopic scattering phase function and anisotropy factor. The interaction of photons at the plasma-cell boundary of randomly oriented three-dimensionally biconcave red blood cells (RBCs) is modeled using geometric optics. The validity of the developed pciMCRaman was investigated by comparing simulation and experimental results of Raman spectroscopy of glucose level in a bovine blood sample. The scattering of the excitation laser at a wavelength of 785 nm was simulated considering the changes in the refractive index of the extracellular solution. Based on the excitation laser photon distribution within the blood, the Raman photon derived from the hemoglobin and glucose molecule at the Raman shift of 1140 cm(-1) = 862 nm was generated, and the photons reaching the detection area were counted. The simulation and experimental results showed good correlation. It is speculated that pciMCRaman can provide information about the ability and limitations of the measurement of blood glucose level.

  5. Photon counting detector for the personal radiography inspection system “SIBSCAN”

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Babichev, E.A.; Baru, S.E. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lavrentiev ave. 11, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Grigoriev, D.N. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lavrentiev ave. 11, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova st. 2, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State Technical University, 20 Prospekt K. Marksa, Novosibirsk 630073 (Russian Federation); Leonov, V.V. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lavrentiev ave. 11, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Oleynikov, V.P. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lavrentiev ave. 11, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova st. 2, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Porosev, V.V., E-mail: porosev@inp.nsk.su [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lavrentiev ave. 11, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova st. 2, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Savinov, G.A. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lavrentiev ave. 11, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation)

    2017-02-11

    X-ray detectors operating in the energy integrating mode are successfully used in many different applications. Nevertheless the direct photon counting detectors, having the superior parameters in comparison with the integrating ones, are rarely used yet. One of the reasons for this is the low value of the electrical signal generated by a detected photon. Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) based scintillation counters have a high detection efficiency, high electronic gain and compact dimensions. This makes them a very attractive candidate to replace routinely used detectors in many fields. More than 10 years ago the digital scanning radiography system based on multistrip ionization chamber (MIC) was suggested at Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. The detector demonstrates excellent radiation resistance and parameter stability after 5 year operations and an imaging of up to 1000 persons per day. Currently, the installations operate at several Russian airports and at subway stations in some cities. At the present time we design a new detector operating in the photon counting mode, having superior parameters than the gas one, based on scintillator – SiPM assemblies. This detector has close to zero noise, higher quantum efficiency and a count rate capability of more than 5 MHz per channel (20% losses), which leads to better image quality and improved detection capability. The suggested detector technology could be expanded to medical applications.

  6. Photon counting detector for the personal radiography inspection system “SIBSCAN”

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babichev, E.A.; Baru, S.E.; Grigoriev, D.N.; Leonov, V.V.; Oleynikov, V.P.; Porosev, V.V.; Savinov, G.A.

    2017-01-01

    X-ray detectors operating in the energy integrating mode are successfully used in many different applications. Nevertheless the direct photon counting detectors, having the superior parameters in comparison with the integrating ones, are rarely used yet. One of the reasons for this is the low value of the electrical signal generated by a detected photon. Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) based scintillation counters have a high detection efficiency, high electronic gain and compact dimensions. This makes them a very attractive candidate to replace routinely used detectors in many fields. More than 10 years ago the digital scanning radiography system based on multistrip ionization chamber (MIC) was suggested at Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. The detector demonstrates excellent radiation resistance and parameter stability after 5 year operations and an imaging of up to 1000 persons per day. Currently, the installations operate at several Russian airports and at subway stations in some cities. At the present time we design a new detector operating in the photon counting mode, having superior parameters than the gas one, based on scintillator – SiPM assemblies. This detector has close to zero noise, higher quantum efficiency and a count rate capability of more than 5 MHz per channel (20% losses), which leads to better image quality and improved detection capability. The suggested detector technology could be expanded to medical applications.

  7. Low photon count based digital holography for quadratic phase cryptography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muniraj, Inbarasan; Guo, Changliang; Malallah, Ra'ed; Ryle, James P; Healy, John J; Lee, Byung-Geun; Sheridan, John T

    2017-07-15

    Recently, the vulnerability of the linear canonical transform-based double random phase encryption system to attack has been demonstrated. To alleviate this, we present for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a method for securing a two-dimensional scene using a quadratic phase encoding system operating in the photon-counted imaging (PCI) regime. Position-phase-shifting digital holography is applied to record the photon-limited encrypted complex samples. The reconstruction of the complex wavefront involves four sparse (undersampled) dataset intensity measurements (interferograms) at two different positions. Computer simulations validate that the photon-limited sparse-encrypted data has adequate information to authenticate the original data set. Finally, security analysis, employing iterative phase retrieval attacks, has been performed.

  8. Two-Photon Vibrational Spectroscopy using local optical fields of gold and silver nanostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneipp, Katrin; Kneipp, Janina; Kneipp, Harald

    2007-03-01

    Spectroscopic effects can be strongly affected when they take place in the immediate vicinity of metal nanostructures due to coupling to surface plasmons. We introduce a new approach that suggests highly efficient two-photon labels as well as two-photon vibrational spectroscopy for non-destructive chemical probing. The underlying spectroscopic effect is the incoherent inelastic scattering of two photons on the vibrational quantum states performed in the enhanced local optical fields of gold nanoparticles, surface enhanced hyper Raman scattering (SEHRS). We infer effective two-photon cross sections for SEHRS on the order of 10^5 GM, similar or higher than the best known cross sections for two-photon fluorescence. SEHRS combines the advantages of two-photon spectroscopy with the structural information of vibrational spectroscopy, and the high sensitivity and nanometer-scale local confinement of plasmonics-based spectroscopy.

  9. Evaluation of the charge-sharing effects on spot intensity in XRD setup using photon-counting pixel detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nilsson, H.-E.; Mattsson, C.G.; Norlin, B.; Froejdh, C.; Bethke, K.; Vries, R. de

    2006-01-01

    In this study, we examine how charge loss due to charge sharing in photon-counting pixels detectors affects the recording of spot intensity in an X-ray diffraction (XRD) setup. In the photon-counting configuration, the charge from photons that are absorbed at the boarder of a pixel will be shared between two pixels. If the threshold is high enough, these photons will not be counted whereas if it is low enough, they will be counted twice. In an XRD setup, the intensity and position of various spots should be recorded. Thus, the intensity measure will be affected by the setting of the threshold. In this study, we used a system level Monte Carlo simulator to evaluate the variations in the intensity signals for different threshold settings and spot sizes. The simulated setup included an 8keV mono-chromatic source (providing a Gaussian shaped spot) and the MEDIPIX2 photon-counting pixel detector (55 μm x 55 μm pixel size with 300μm silicon) at various detector biases. Our study shows that the charge-sharing distortion can be compensated by numerical post processing and that high resolution in both charge distribution and position can be achieved

  10. Photon-counting monolithic avalanche photodiode arrays for the super collider

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishaque, A.N.; Castleberry, D.E.; Rougeot, H.M.

    1994-01-01

    In fiber tracking, calorimetry, and other high energy and nuclear physics experiments, the need arises to detect an optical signal consisting of a few photons (in some cases a single photoelectron) with a detector insensitive to magnetic fields. Previous attempts to detect a single photoelectron have involved avalanche photodiodes (APDs) operated in the Geiger mode, the visible light photon counter, and a photomultiplier tube with an APD as the anode. In this paper it is demonstrated that silicon APDs, biased below the breakdown voltage, can be used to detect a signal of a few photons with conventional pulse counting circuitry at room temperature. Moderate cooling, it is further argued, could make it possible to detect a single photoelectron. Monolithic arrays of silicon avalanche photodiodes fabricated by Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. (RMD) were evaluated for possible use in the Super Collider detector systems. Measurements on 3 element x 3 element (2 mm pitch) APD arrays, using pulse counting circuitry with a charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) and a Gaussian filter, are reported and found to conform to a simple noise model. The model is used to obtain the optimal operating point. Experimental results are described in Section II, modeling results in Section III, and the conclusions are summarized in Section IV

  11. 15 Mcps photon-counting X-ray computed tomography system using a ZnO-MPPC detector and its application to gadolinium imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, Eiichi, E-mail: dresato@iwate-med.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Iwate Medical University, 2-1-1 Nishitokuta, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694 (Japan); Sugimura, Shigeaki [Tokyo Denpa Co. Ltd., 82-5 Ueno, Ichinohe, Iwate 028-5321 (Japan); Endo, Haruyuki [Iwate Industrial Research Insutitute 3, 3-35-2 Shinden, Iioka, Morioka, Iwate 020-0852 (Japan); Oda, Yasuyuki [Department of Physics, Iwate Medical University, 2-1-1 Nishitokuta, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694 (Japan); Abudurexiti, Abulajiang [Faculty of Software and Information Science, Iwate Prefectural University, 152-52 Sugo, Takizawa, Iwate 020-0193 (Japan); Hagiwara, Osahiko; Osawa, Akihiro; Matsukiyo, Hiroshi; Enomoto, Toshiyuki; Watanabe, Manabu; Kusachi, Shinya [3rd Department of Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine, 2-17-6 Ohashi, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8515 (Japan); Sato, Shigehiro [Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, Iwate 020-0023 (Japan); Ogawa, Akira [Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, Iwate 020-0023 (Japan); Onagawa, Jun [Department of Electronics, Faculty of Engineering, Tohoku Gakuin University, 1-13-1 Chuo, Tagajo, Miyagi 985-8537 (Japan)

    2012-01-15

    15 Mcps photon-counting X-ray computed tomography (CT) system is a first-generation type and consists of an X-ray generator, a turntable, a translation stage, a two-stage controller, a detector consisting of a 2 mm-thick zinc-oxide (ZnO) single-crystal scintillator and an MPPC (multipixel photon counter) module, a counter card (CC), and a personal computer (PC). High-speed photon counting was carried out using the detector in the X-ray CT system. The maximum count rate was 15 Mcps (mega counts per second) at a tube voltage of 100 kV and a tube current of 1.95 mA. Tomography is accomplished by repeated translations and rotations of an object, and projection curves of the object are obtained by the translation. The pulses of the event signal from the module are counted by the CC in conjunction with the PC. The minimum exposure time for obtaining a tomogram was 15 min, and photon-counting CT was accomplished using gadolinium-based contrast media. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We developed a first-generation 15 Mcps photon-counting X-ray computed tomography (CT) system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High-speed photon counting was carried out using a zinc-oxide (ZnO) single-crystal scintillator and an MPPC (multipixel photon counter) module in the X-ray CT system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tomography is accomplished by repeated translations and rotations of an object. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The minimum exposure time for obtaining a tomogram was 15 min. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The photon-counting CT was accomplished using gadolinium-based contrast media.

  12. Single-photon counting in the 1550-nm wavelength region for quantum cryptography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Chul-Woo; Park, Jun-Bum; Park, Young-Soo; Lee, Seung-Hun; Shin, Hyun-Jun; Bae, Byung-Seong; Moon, Sung; Han, Sang-Kook

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we report the measured performance of an InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) Module fabricated for single-photon counting. We measured the dark current noise, the after-pulse noise, and the quantum efficiency of the single- photon detector for different temperatures. We then examined our single-photon source and detection system by measuring the coincident probability. From our measurement, we observed that the after-pulse effect of the APD at temperatures below 105 .deg. C caused cascade noise build-up on the succeeding electrical signals.

  13. Energy-correction photon counting pixel for photon energy extraction under pulse pile-up

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Daehee; Park, Kyungjin; Lim, Kyung Taek; Cho, Gyuseong, E-mail: gscho@kaist.ac.kr

    2017-06-01

    A photon counting detector (PCD) has been proposed as an alternative solution to an energy-integrating detector (EID) in medical imaging field due to its high resolution, high efficiency, and low noise. The PCD has expanded to variety of fields such as spectral CT, k-edge imaging, and material decomposition owing to its capability to count and measure the number and the energy of an incident photon, respectively. Nonetheless, pulse pile-up, which is a superimposition of pulses at the output of a charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) in each PC pixel, occurs frequently as the X-ray flux increases due to the finite pulse processing time (PPT) in CSAs. Pulse pile-up induces not only a count loss but also distortion in the measured X-ray spectrum from each PC pixel and thus it is a main constraint on the use of PCDs in high flux X-ray applications. To minimize these effects, an energy-correction PC (ECPC) pixel is proposed to resolve pulse pile-up without cutting off the PPT by adding an energy correction logic (ECL) via a cross detection method (CDM). The ECPC pixel with a size of 200×200 µm{sup 2} was fabricated by using a 6-metal 1-poly 0.18 µm CMOS process with a static power consumption of 7.2 μW/pixel. The maximum count rate of the ECPC pixel was extended by approximately three times higher than that of a conventional PC pixel with a PPT of 500 nsec. The X-ray spectrum of 90 kVp, filtered by 3 mm Al filter, was measured as the X-ray current was increased using the CdTe and the ECPC pixel. As a result, the ECPC pixel dramatically reduced the energy spectrum distortion at 2 Mphotons/pixel/s when compared to that of the ERCP pixel with the same 500 nsec PPT.

  14. Highly Sensitive Photon Counting Detectors for Deep Space Optical Communications, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A new type of a photon-counting photodetector is proposed to advance the state-of the-art in deep space optical communications technology. The proposed detector...

  15. Improving the resolution in soft X-ray emission spectrometers through photon-counting using an Electron Multiplying CCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, D J; Soman, M; Tutt, J; Murray, N; Holland, A; Schmitt, T; Raabe, J; Strocov, V N; Schmitt, B

    2012-01-01

    In 2007, a study of back-illuminated Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) for soft X-ray photon detection demonstrated the improvements that could be brought over more traditional micro-channel plate detectors for X-ray spectrometers based on diffraction gratings and position sensitive detectors. Whilst the spatial resolution was reported to be improved dramatically, an intrinsic limit of approximately 25 micrometers was found due to the spreading of the charge cloud generated in the CCD across several pixels. To overcome this resolution limit, it is necessary to move away from the current integrated imaging methods and consider a photon-counting approach, recording the photon interaction locations to the sub-pixel level. To make use of photon-counting techniques it is important that the individual events are separable. To maintain the throughput of the spectrometer for high intensity lines, higher frame rates and therefore higher readout speeds are required. With CCD based systems, the increased noise at high readout speeds can limit the photon-counting performance. The Electron-Multiplying CCD shares a similar architecture with the standard CCD but incorporates a g ain register . This novel addition allows controllable gain to be applied to the signal before the read noise is introduced, therefore allowing individual events to be resolved above the noise even at much higher readout rates. In the past, the EM-CCD has only been available with imaging areas too small to be practical in soft X-ray emission spectrometers. The current drive for large area Electron-Multiplying CCDs is opening this technology to new photon-counting applications, requiring in-depth analysis of the processes and techniques involved. Early results indicate that through the introduction of photon-counting techniques the resolution in such systems can be dramatically improved.

  16. Characterisation of Al{sub 0.52}In{sub 0.48}P mesa p-i-n photodiodes for X-ray photon counting spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Butera, S., E-mail: S.Butera@sussex.ac.uk; Lioliou, G.; Barnett, A. M. [Semiconductor Materials and Device Laboratory, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QT (United Kingdom); Krysa, A. B. [EPSRC National Centre for III-V Technologies, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

    2016-07-14

    Results characterising the performance of thin (2 μm i-layer) Al{sub 0.52}In{sub 0.48}P p{sup +}-i-n{sup +} mesa photodiodes for X-ray photon counting spectroscopy are reported at room temperature. Two 200 μm diameter and two 400 μm diameter Al{sub 0.52}In{sub 0.48}P p{sup +}-i-n{sup +} mesa photodiodes were studied. Dark current results as a function of applied reverse bias are shown; dark current densities <3 nA/cm{sup 2} were observed at 30 V (150 kV/cm) for all the devices analysed. Capacitance measurements as a function of applied reverse bias are also reported. X-ray spectra were collected using 10 μs shaping time, with the device illuminated by an {sup 55}Fe radioisotope X-ray source. Experimental results showed that the best energy resolution (FWHM) achieved at 5.9 keV was 930 eV for the 200 μm Al{sub 0.52}In{sub 0.48}P diameter devices, when reverse biased at 15 V. System noise analysis was also carried out, and the different noise contributions were computed.

  17. Characterization of energy response for photon-counting detectors using x-ray fluorescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, Huanjun; Cho, Hyo-Min; Molloi, Sabee; Barber, William C.; Iwanczyk, Jan S.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of characterizing a Si strip photon-counting detector using x-ray fluorescence. Methods: X-ray fluorescence was generated by using a pencil beam from a tungsten anode x-ray tube with 2 mm Al filtration. Spectra were acquired at 90° from the primary beam direction with an energy-resolved photon-counting detector based on an edge illuminated Si strip detector. The distances from the source to target and the target to detector were approximately 19 and 11 cm, respectively. Four different materials, containing silver (Ag), iodine (I), barium (Ba), and gadolinium (Gd), were placed in small plastic containers with a diameter of approximately 0.7 cm for x-ray fluorescence measurements. Linear regression analysis was performed to derive the gain and offset values for the correlation between the measured fluorescence peak center and the known fluorescence energies. The energy resolutions and charge-sharing fractions were also obtained from analytical fittings of the recorded fluorescence spectra. An analytical model, which employed four parameters that can be determined from the fluorescence calibration, was used to estimate the detector response function. Results: Strong fluorescence signals of all four target materials were recorded with the investigated geometry for the Si strip detector. The average gain and offset of all pixels for detector energy calibration were determined to be 6.95 mV/keV and −66.33 mV, respectively. The detector’s energy resolution remained at approximately 2.7 keV for low energies, and increased slightly at 45 keV. The average charge-sharing fraction was estimated to be 36% within the investigated energy range of 20–45 keV. The simulated detector output based on the proposed response function agreed well with the experimental measurement. Conclusions: The performance of a spectral imaging system using energy-resolved photon-counting detectors is very dependent on the energy calibration of the

  18. ON THE USE OF SHOT NOISE FOR PHOTON COUNTING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zmuidzinas, Jonas, E-mail: jonas@caltech.edu [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2015-11-01

    Lieu et al. have recently claimed that it is possible to substantially improve the sensitivity of radio-astronomical observations. In essence, their proposal is to make use of the intensity of the photon shot noise as a measure of the photon arrival rate. Lieu et al. provide a detailed quantum-mechanical calculation of a proposed measurement scheme that uses two detectors and conclude that this scheme avoids the sensitivity degradation that is associated with photon bunching. If correct, this result could have a profound impact on radio astronomy. Here I present a detailed analysis of the sensitivity attainable using shot-noise measurement schemes that use either one or two detectors, and demonstrate that neither scheme can avoid the photon bunching penalty. I perform both semiclassical and fully quantum calculations of the sensitivity, obtaining consistent results, and provide a formal proof of the equivalence of these two approaches. These direct calculations are furthermore shown to be consistent with an indirect argument based on a correlation method that establishes an independent limit to the sensitivity of shot-noise measurement schemes. Furthermore, these calculations are directly applicable to the regime of interest identified by Lieu et al. Collectively, these results conclusively demonstrate that the photon-bunching sensitivity penalty applies to shot-noise measurement schemes just as it does to ordinary photon counting, in contradiction to the fundamental claim made by Lieu et al. The source of this contradiction is traced to a logical fallacy in their argument.

  19. Conditionally Teleported States Using Optical Squeezers and Photon Counting

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    FAN Hong-Yi; FAN Yue; CHENG Hai-Ling

    2002-01-01

    By virtue of the neat expression of the two-mode squeezing operator in the Einstein,Podolsky and Rosen entangled state representation,we provide a new approach for discussing the teleportation scheme using optical squeezers and photon counting devices.We derive the explicit form of the teleported states,so that the conditional property of teleportation and teleportation fidelity of this protocol can be scen more clcarly.The derivation is concise.

  20. Evaluation of a hybrid photon counting pixel detector for X-ray polarimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michel, T.; Durst, J.

    2008-01-01

    It has already been shown in literature that X-ray sensitive CCDs can be used to measure the degree of linear polarization of X-rays using the effect that photoelectrons are emitted with a non-isotropic angular distribution in respect to the orientation of the electric field vector of impinging photons. Up to now hybrid semiconductor pixel detectors like the Timepix-detector have never been used for X-ray polarimetry. The main reason for this is that the pixel pitch is large compared to CCDs which results in a much smaller analyzing power. On the other hand, the active thickness of the sensor layer can be larger than in CCDs leading to an increased efficiency. Therefore hybrid photon counting pixel detectors may be used for imaging and polarimetry at higher photon energies. For irradiation with polarized X-ray photons we were able to measure an asymmetry between vertical and horizontal double hit events in neighboring pixels of the hybrid photon counting Timepix-detector at room temperature. For the specific spectrum used in our experiment an average polarization asymmetry of (0.96±0.02)% was measured. Additionally, the Timepix-detector with its spectroscopic time-over-threshold-mode was used to measure the dependence of the polarization asymmetry on energy deposition in the detector. Polarization asymmetries between 0.2% at 29 keV and 3.4% at 78 keV energy deposition were determined. The results can be reproduced with our EGS4-based Monte-Carlo simulation

  1. Effects of calibration methods on quantitative material decomposition in photon-counting spectral computed tomography using a maximum a posteriori estimator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtis, Tyler E; Roeder, Ryan K

    2017-10-01

    magnitude by comparison. The material basis matrix calibration was more sensitive to changes in the calibration methods than the scaling factor calibration. The material basis matrix calibration significantly influenced both the quantitative and spatial accuracy of material decomposition, while the scaling factor calibration influenced quantitative but not spatial accuracy. Importantly, the median RMSE of material decomposition was as low as ~1.5 mM (~0.24 mg/mL gadolinium), which was similar in magnitude to that measured by optical spectroscopy on the same samples. The accuracy of quantitative material decomposition in photon-counting spectral CT was significantly influenced by calibration methods which must therefore be carefully considered for the intended diagnostic imaging application. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  2. A Near-Infrared Photon Counting Camera for High Sensitivity Astronomical Observation, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The innovation is a Near Infrared Photon-Counting Sensor (NIRPCS), an imaging device with sufficient sensitivity to capture the spectral signatures, in the...

  3. A Near-Infrared Photon Counting Camera for High Sensitivity Astronomical Observation, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The innovation is a Near Infrared Photon-Counting Sensor (NIRPCS), an imaging device with sufficient sensitivity to capture the spectral signatures, in the...

  4. Photon-counting 1.0 GHz-phase-modulation fluorometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizuno, T.; Nakao, S.; Mizutani, Y.; Iwata, T.

    2015-01-01

    We have constructed an improved version of a photon-counting phase-modulation fluorometer (PC-PMF) with a maximum modulation frequency of 1.0 GHz, where a phase domain measurement is conducted with a time-correlated single-photon-counting electronics. While the basic concept of the PC-PMF has been reported previously by one of the authors, little attention has been paid to its significance, other than its weak fluorescence measurement capability. Recently, we have recognized the importance of the PC-PMF and its potential for fluorescence lifetime measurements. One important aspect of the PC-PMF is that it enables us to perform high-speed measurements that exceed the frequency bandwidths of the photomultiplier tubes that are commonly used as fluorescence detectors. We describe the advantages of the PC-PMF and demonstrate its usefulness based on fundamental performance tests. In our new version of the PC-PMF, we have used a laser diode (LD) as an excitation light source rather than the light-emitting diode that was used in the primary version. We have also designed a simple and stable LD driver to modulate the device. Additionally, we have obtained a sinusoidal histogram waveform that has multiple cycles within a time span to be measured, which is indispensable for precise phase measurements. With focus on the fluorescence intensity and the resolution time, we have compared the performance of the PC-PMF with that of a conventional PMF using the analogue light detection method

  5. Photon-counting 1.0 GHz-phase-modulation fluorometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mizuno, T.; Nakao, S.; Mizutani, Y.; Iwata, T., E-mail: iwata@tokushima-u.ac.jp [Division of Energy System, Institute of Technology and Science, Tokushima University, 2-1 Minami-Jyosanjima, Tokushima 770-8506 (Japan)

    2015-04-15

    We have constructed an improved version of a photon-counting phase-modulation fluorometer (PC-PMF) with a maximum modulation frequency of 1.0 GHz, where a phase domain measurement is conducted with a time-correlated single-photon-counting electronics. While the basic concept of the PC-PMF has been reported previously by one of the authors, little attention has been paid to its significance, other than its weak fluorescence measurement capability. Recently, we have recognized the importance of the PC-PMF and its potential for fluorescence lifetime measurements. One important aspect of the PC-PMF is that it enables us to perform high-speed measurements that exceed the frequency bandwidths of the photomultiplier tubes that are commonly used as fluorescence detectors. We describe the advantages of the PC-PMF and demonstrate its usefulness based on fundamental performance tests. In our new version of the PC-PMF, we have used a laser diode (LD) as an excitation light source rather than the light-emitting diode that was used in the primary version. We have also designed a simple and stable LD driver to modulate the device. Additionally, we have obtained a sinusoidal histogram waveform that has multiple cycles within a time span to be measured, which is indispensable for precise phase measurements. With focus on the fluorescence intensity and the resolution time, we have compared the performance of the PC-PMF with that of a conventional PMF using the analogue light detection method.

  6. Mu-Spec - A High Performance Ultra-Compact Photon Counting spectrometer for Space Submillimeter Astronomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moseley, H.; Hsieh, W.-T.; Stevenson, T.; Wollack, E.; Brown, A.; Benford, D.; Sadleir; U-Yen, I.; Ehsan, N.; Zmuidzinas, J.; hide

    2011-01-01

    We have designed and are testing elements of a fully integrated submillimeter spectrometer based on superconducting microstrip technology. The instrument can offer resolving power R approximately 1500, and its high frequency cutoff is set by the gap of available high performance superconductors. All functions of the spectrometer are integrated - light is coupled to the microstrip circuit with a planar antenna, the spectra discrimination is achieved using a synthetic grating, orders are separated using planar filter, and detected using photon counting MKID detector. This spectrometer promises to revolutionize submillimeter spectroscopy from space. It replaces instruments with the scale of 1m with a spectrometer on a 10 cm Si wafer. The reduction in mass and volume promises a much higher performance system within available resource in a space mission. We will describe the system and the performance of the components that have been fabricated and tested.

  7. A study of pile-up in integrated time-correlated single photon counting systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arlt, Jochen; Tyndall, David; Rae, Bruce R; Li, David D-U; Richardson, Justin A; Henderson, Robert K

    2013-10-01

    Recent demonstration of highly integrated, solid-state, time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) systems in CMOS technology is set to provide significant increases in performance over existing bulky, expensive hardware. Arrays of single photon single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors, timing channels, and signal processing can be integrated on a single silicon chip with a degree of parallelism and computational speed that is unattainable by discrete photomultiplier tube and photon counting card solutions. New multi-channel, multi-detector TCSPC sensor architectures with greatly enhanced throughput due to minimal detector transit (dead) time or timing channel dead time are now feasible. In this paper, we study the potential for future integrated, solid-state TCSPC sensors to exceed the photon pile-up limit through analytic formula and simulation. The results are validated using a 10% fill factor SPAD array and an 8-channel, 52 ps resolution time-to-digital conversion architecture with embedded lifetime estimation. It is demonstrated that pile-up insensitive acquisition is attainable at greater than 10 times the pulse repetition rate providing over 60 dB of extended dynamic range to the TCSPC technique. Our results predict future CMOS TCSPC sensors capable of live-cell transient observations in confocal scanning microscopy, improved resolution of near-infrared optical tomography systems, and fluorescence lifetime activated cell sorting.

  8. Polarimetric, Two-Color, Photon-Counting Laser Altimeter Measurements of Forest Canopy Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, David J.; Dabney, Philip W.; Valett, Susan

    2011-01-01

    Laser altimeter measurements of forest stands with distinct structures and compositions have been acquired at 532 nm (green) and 1064 nm (near-infrared) wavelengths and parallel and perpendicular polarization states using the Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon Counting Lidar (SIMPL). The micropulse, single photon ranging measurement approach employed by SIMPL provides canopy structure measurements with high vertical and spatial resolution. Using a height distribution analysis method adapted from conventional, 1064 nm, full-waveform lidar remote sensing, the sensitivity of two parameters commonly used for above-ground biomass estimation are compared as a function of wavelength. The results for the height of median energy (HOME) and canopy cover are for the most part very similar, indicating biomass estimations using lidars operating at green and near-infrared wavelengths will yield comparable estimates. The expected detection of increasing depolarization with depth into the canopies due to volume multiple-scattering was not observed, possibly due to the small laser footprint and the small detector field of view used in the SIMPL instrument. The results of this work provide pathfinder information for NASA's ICESat-2 mission that will employ a 532 nm, micropulse, photon counting laser altimeter.

  9. 15Mcps photon-counting X-ray computed tomography system using a ZnO-MPPC detector and its application to gadolinium imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Eiichi; Sugimura, Shigeaki; Endo, Haruyuki; Oda, Yasuyuki; Abudurexiti, Abulajiang; Hagiwara, Osahiko; Osawa, Akihiro; Matsukiyo, Hiroshi; Enomoto, Toshiyuki; Watanabe, Manabu; Kusachi, Shinya; Sato, Shigehiro; Ogawa, Akira; Onagawa, Jun

    2012-01-01

    15Mcps photon-counting X-ray computed tomography (CT) system is a first-generation type and consists of an X-ray generator, a turntable, a translation stage, a two-stage controller, a detector consisting of a 2mm-thick zinc-oxide (ZnO) single-crystal scintillator and an MPPC (multipixel photon counter) module, a counter card (CC), and a personal computer (PC). High-speed photon counting was carried out using the detector in the X-ray CT system. The maximum count rate was 15Mcps (mega counts per second) at a tube voltage of 100kV and a tube current of 1.95mA. Tomography is accomplished by repeated translations and rotations of an object, and projection curves of the object are obtained by the translation. The pulses of the event signal from the module are counted by the CC in conjunction with the PC. The minimum exposure time for obtaining a tomogram was 15min, and photon-counting CT was accomplished using gadolinium-based contrast media. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. The Dosepix detector—an energy-resolving photon-counting pixel detector for spectrometric measurements

    CERN Document Server

    Zang, A; Ballabriga, R; Bisello, F; Campbell, M; Celi, J C; Fauler, A; Fiederle, M; Jensch, M; Kochanski, N; Llopart, X; Michel, N; Mollenhauer, U; Ritter, I; Tennert, F; Wölfel, S; Wong, W; Michel, T

    2015-01-01

    The Dosepix detector is a hybrid photon-counting pixel detector based on ideas of the Medipix and Timepix detector family. 1 mm thick cadmium telluride and 300 μm thick silicon were used as sensor material. The pixel matrix of the Dosepix consists of 16 x 16 square pixels with 12 rows of (200 μm)2 and 4 rows of (55 μm)2 sensitive area for the silicon sensor layer and 16 rows of pixels with 220 μm pixel pitch for CdTe. Besides digital energy integration and photon-counting mode, a novel concept of energy binning is included in the pixel electronics, allowing energy-resolved measurements in 16 energy bins within one acquisition. The possibilities of this detector concept range from applications in personal dosimetry and energy-resolved imaging to quality assurance of medical X-ray sources by analysis of the emitted photon spectrum. In this contribution the Dosepix detector, its response to X-rays as well as spectrum measurements with Si and CdTe sensor layer are presented. Furthermore, a first evaluation wa...

  11. Radiation-Resistant Photon-Counting Detector Package Providing Sub-ps Stability for Laser Time Transfer in Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prochzaka, Ivan; Kodat, Jan; Blazej, Josef; Sun, Xiaoli (Editor)

    2015-01-01

    We are reporting on a design, construction and performance of photon-counting detector packages based on silicon avalanche photodiodes. These photon-counting devices have been optimized for extremely high stability of their detection delay. The detectors have been designed for future applications in fundamental metrology and optical time transfer in space. The detectors have been qualified for operation in space missions. The exceptional radiation tolerance of the detection chip itself and of all critical components of a detector package has been verified in a series of experiments.

  12. On Approaching the Ultimate Limits of Communication Using a Photon-Counting Detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erkmen, Baris I.; Moision, Bruce E.; Dolinar, Samuel J.; Birnbaum, Kevin M.; Divsalar, Dariush

    2012-01-01

    Coherent states achieve the Holevo capacity of a pure-loss channel when paired with an optimal measurement, but a physical realization of this measurement scheme is as of yet unknown, and it is also likely to be of high complexity. In this paper, we focus on the photon-counting measurement and study the photon and dimensional efficiencies attainable with modulations over classical- and nonclassical-state alphabets. We analyze two binary modulation architectures that improve upon the dimensional versus photon efficiency tradeoff achievable with the state-of-the-art coherent-state on-off keying modulation. We show that at high photon efficiency these architectures achieve an efficiency tradeoff that differs from the best possible tradeoff--determined by the Holevo capacity--by only a constant factor. The first architecture we analyze is a coherent-state transmitter that relies on feedback from the receiver to control the transmitted energy. The second architecture uses a single-photon number-state source.

  13. Analysis of the factors that affect photon counts in Compton scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Guang; Xiao, Guangyu

    2015-01-01

    Compton scattering has been applied in a variety of fields. The factors that affect Compton scattering have been studied extensively in the literature. However, the factors that affect the measured photon counts in Compton scattering are rarely considered. In this paper, we make a detailed discussion on those factors. First, Compton scattering experiments of some alloy series and powder mixture series are explored. Second, the electron density is researched in terms of atom and lattice constants. Third, the factor of attenuation coefficient is discussed. And then, the active degree of electrons is discussed based on the DFT theory. Lastly, the conclusions are made, that the factors affecting Compton scattering photon counts include mainly electron number density, attenuation coefficient and active degree of electrons. - Highlights: • Compton scattering experiments of some alloy series and powder mixture series are explored. • The influence of electron density is researched in terms of atom and lattice constants. • The influence of attenuation coefficient is discussed. • The active degree of electrons is discussed detailedly based on DFT theory

  14. Feasibility of photon-counting K-edge imaging in X-ray and computed tomographic systems: Monte Carlo simulation studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seung-Wan; Choi, Yu-Na; Cho, Hyo-Min; Lee, Young-Jin; Ryu, Hyun-Ju; Kim, Hee-Joung

    2011-01-01

    Conventional X-ray systems and X-ray computed tomography (CT) systems, which use detectors operated in the integrating mode, are not able to reflect spectral information because the detector output is proportional to the energy fluence integrated over the whole spectrum. Photon-counting detectors have been considered as alternative devices. These detectors can measure the photon energy deposited by each event and improve the image quality. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of K-edge imaging using a photon-counting detector and evaluated the capability of material decomposition in X-ray images. The geometries of X-ray imaging systems equipped with cadmium telluride (CdTe) detectors and phantoms consisting of different materials were designed using Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) version 6.0. To observe the effect of a discontinuity in the attenuation due to the K-edge of a high atomic number material, we chose the energy windows to be one below and one above the K-edge absorption energy of the target material. The contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of the target materials were increased at selective energy levels above the K-edge absorption energy because the attenuation is more dramatically increased at energies above the K-edge absorption energy of the material than at energies below that. The CNRs for the target materials in the K-edge image were proportional to the material concentration. The results of this study show that K-edge imaging can be carried out in conventional X-ray systems and X-ray CT systems using CdTe photon-counting detectors and that the target materials can be separated from background materials by using K-edge imaging. The photon-counting detector has potential to provide improved image quality, and this study will be used as a basis for future studies on photon-counting X-ray imaging.

  15. Broadband Doppler-limited two-photon and stepwise excitation spectroscopy with laser frequency combs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hipke, Arthur; Meek, Samuel A.; Ideguchi, Takuro; Hänsch, Theodor W.; Picqué, Nathalie

    2014-07-01

    Multiplex two-photon excitation spectroscopy is demonstrated at Doppler-limited resolution. We describe first Fourier-transform two-photon spectroscopy of an atomic sample with two mode-locked laser oscillators in a dual-comb technique. Each transition is uniquely identified by the modulation imparted by the interfering comb excitations. The temporal modulation of the spontaneous two-photon fluorescence is monitored with a single photodetector, and the spectrum of all excited transitions is revealed by a Fourier transform.

  16. Detection system in photon correlation spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prawiroatmodjo, Soewono

    1986-01-01

    A simple circuit which is designed to amplify, discriminate and shape pulses from photon counting photomultiplier tubes and to provide an output suitable for digital recording is presented. It is consisting of a differential video wide-band operational amplifier of MC1733C as amplifier stage, a high speed differential comparator of UA760 as essential element of the discriminator and a pulse shaping circuit. This circuit may readily be inserted between the photomultiplier and existing digital processing equipment. (author). 6 refs

  17. Development of superconducting tunnel junction as photon counting detector in astronomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorel, C.

    2004-12-01

    This work describes the development of S/Al-AlOx-Al/S Superconducting Tunnel Junctions (STJ) to count photons for astronomical applications in the near-infrared. The incoming light energy is converted into excited charges in a superconducting layer (S, either Nb or Ta) with a population proportional to the deposited energy. The photon energy can thus be evaluated by integrating the tunnel current induced in a voltage biased junction at a very low temperature (100 mK). The performance of STJ for light detection is discussed in the first chapter and compared with the best performances obtained with other techniques based on either superconductors. At the beginning of the thesis, a previous manufacturing process made it possible to obtain good quality Nb based junctions and preliminary results for photon counting. The objective of the thesis was to replace Nb as absorber with Ta, an intrinsically more sensitive material, and secondly to develop a new and more efficient manufacturing process. We first focused on the optimization of the Tantalum thin film quality. Structural analysis showed that these films can be grown epitaxially by magnetron sputtering onto an R-plane sapphire substrate heated to 600 Celsius degrees and covered by a thin Nb buffer layer. Electrical transport measurement from room to low temperatures gave excellent Relative Resistive Ratios of about 50 corresponding to mean free path of the order of 100 nm. Then, we conceived an original manufacturing process batch on 3 inch diameter sapphire substrate with five mask levels. These masks made it possible to produce single pixel STJ of different sizes (from 25*25 to 50*50 square microns) and shapes. We also produced multiple junctions onto a common absorber as well as 9-pixel arrays. Thanks to the development of this process we obtained a very large percentage of quality junctions (>90%) with excellent measured normal resistances of a few micro-ohm cm 2 and low leakage currents of the order of one n

  18. Real-time computational photon-counting LiDAR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edgar, Matthew; Johnson, Steven; Phillips, David; Padgett, Miles

    2018-03-01

    The availability of compact, low-cost, and high-speed MEMS-based spatial light modulators has generated widespread interest in alternative sampling strategies for imaging systems utilizing single-pixel detectors. The development of compressed sensing schemes for real-time computational imaging may have promising commercial applications for high-performance detectors, where the availability of focal plane arrays is expensive or otherwise limited. We discuss the research and development of a prototype light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system via direct time of flight, which utilizes a single high-sensitivity photon-counting detector and fast-timing electronics to recover millimeter accuracy three-dimensional images in real time. The development of low-cost real time computational LiDAR systems could have importance for applications in security, defense, and autonomous vehicles.

  19. Low-dose electron energy-loss spectroscopy using electron counting direct detectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maigné, Alan; Wolf, Matthias

    2018-03-01

    Since the development of parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), charge-coupled devices (CCDs) have been the default detectors for EELS. With the recent development of electron-counting direct-detection cameras, micrographs can be acquired under very low electron doses at significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio. In spectroscopy, in particular in combination with a monochromator, the signal can be extremely weak and the detection limit is principally defined by noise introduced by the detector. Here we report the use of an electron-counting direct-detection camera for EEL spectroscopy. We studied the oxygen K edge of amorphous ice and obtained a signal noise ratio up to 10 times higher than with a conventional CCD.We report the application of electron counting to record time-resolved EEL spectra of a biological protein embedded in amorphous ice, revealing chemical changes observed in situ while exposed by the electron beam. A change in the fine structure of nitrogen K and the carbon K edges were recorded during irradiation. A concentration of 3 at% nitrogen was detected with a total electron dose of only 1.7 e-/Å2, extending the boundaries of EELS signal detection at low electron doses.

  20. The multichannel system of synchronous photon counting of range 50 ns - 100 ms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dmitriev, S M [and others

    1996-12-31

    A new type of the multichannel system of synchronous photon counting is designed. The recording past of the analyzer is described and the whole measurement process is considered. Frequency of the master generator is 75 MHz. 1 ref.; 2 figs.

  1. Photon-counting hexagonal pixel array CdTe detector: Spatial resolution characteristics for image-guided interventional applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vedantham, Srinivasan; Shrestha, Suman; Karellas, Andrew; Shi, Linxi; Gounis, Matthew J; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Spandre, Gloria; Brez, Alessandro; Minuti, Massimo

    2016-05-01

    High-resolution, photon-counting, energy-resolved detector with fast-framing capability can facilitate simultaneous acquisition of precontrast and postcontrast images for subtraction angiography without pixel registration artifacts and can facilitate high-resolution real-time imaging during image-guided interventions. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the spatial resolution characteristics of a hexagonal pixel array photon-counting cadmium telluride (CdTe) detector. A 650 μm thick CdTe Schottky photon-counting detector capable of concurrently acquiring up to two energy-windowed images was operated in a single energy-window mode to include photons of 10 keV or higher. The detector had hexagonal pixels with apothem of 30 μm resulting in pixel pitch of 60 and 51.96 μm along the two orthogonal directions. The detector was characterized at IEC-RQA5 spectral conditions. Linear response of the detector was determined over the air kerma rate relevant to image-guided interventional procedures ranging from 1.3 nGy/frame to 91.4 μGy/frame. Presampled modulation transfer was determined using a tungsten edge test device. The edge-spread function and the finely sampled line spread function accounted for hexagonal sampling, from which the presampled modulation transfer function (MTF) was determined. Since detectors with hexagonal pixels require resampling to square pixels for distortion-free display, the optimal square pixel size was determined by minimizing the root-mean-squared-error of the aperture functions for the square and hexagonal pixels up to the Nyquist limit. At Nyquist frequencies of 8.33 and 9.62 cycles/mm along the apothem and orthogonal to the apothem directions, the modulation factors were 0.397 and 0.228, respectively. For the corresponding axis, the limiting resolution defined as 10% MTF occurred at 13.3 and 12 cycles/mm, respectively. Evaluation of the aperture functions yielded an optimal square pixel size of 54 μm. After resampling to 54

  2. Terahertz spectroscopy of three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oezbay, E.; Michel, E.; Tuttle, G.; Biswas, R.; Ho, K.M.; Bostak, J.; Bloom, D.M.

    1994-01-01

    We have fabricated and built three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals with band-gap frequencies larger than 500 GHz. We built the crystals by stacking micromachined (110) silicon wafers. The transmission and dispersion characteristics of the structures were measured by an all-electronic terahertz spectroscopy setup. The experimental results were in good agreement with theoretical calculations. To our knowledge, our new crystal has the highest reported photonic band-gap frequency

  3. Approaching the Ultimate Limits of Communication Efficiency with a Photon-Counting Detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erkmen, Baris; Moision, Bruce; Dolinar, Samuel J.; Birnbaum, Kevin M.; Divsalar, Dariush

    2012-01-01

    Coherent states achieve the Holevo capacity of a pure-loss channel when paired with an optimal measurement, but a physical realization of this measurement is as of yet unknown, and it is also likely to be of high complexity. In this paper, we focus on the photon-counting measurement and study the photon and dimensional efficiencies attainable with modulations over classical- and nonclassical-state alphabets. We first review the state-of-the-art coherent on-off-keying (OOK) with a photoncounting measurement, illustrating its asymptotic inefficiency relative to the Holevo limit. We show that a commonly made Poisson approximation in thermal noise leads to unbounded photon information efficiencies, violating the conjectured Holevo limit. We analyze two binary-modulation architectures that improve upon the dimensional versus photon efficiency tradeoff achievable with conventional OOK. We show that at high photon efficiency these architectures achieve an efficiency tradeoff that differs from the best possible tradeoff--determined by the Holevo capacity--by only a constant factor. The first architecture we analyze is a coherent-state transmitter that relies on feedback from the receiver to control the transmitted energy. The second architecture uses a single-photon number-state source.

  4. The effect of event shape on centroiding in photon counting detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawakami, Hajime; Bone, David; Fordham, John; Michel, Raul

    1994-01-01

    High resolution, CCD readout, photon counting detectors employ simple centroiding algorithms for defining the spatial position of each detected event. The accuracy of centroiding is very dependent upon a number of parameters including the profile, energy and width of the intensified event. In this paper, we provide an analysis of how the characteristics of an intensified event change as the input count rate increases and the consequent effect on centroiding. The changes in these parameters are applied in particular to the MIC photon counting detector developed at UCL for ground and space based astronomical applications. This detector has a maximum format of 3072x2304 pixels permitting its use in the highest resolution applications. Individual events, at light level from 5 to 1000k events/s over the detector area, were analysed. It was found that both the asymmetry and width of event profiles were strongly dependent upon the energy of the intensified event. The variation in profile then affected the centroiding accuracy leading to loss of resolution. These inaccuracies have been quantified for two different 3 CCD pixel centroiding algorithms and one 2 pixel algorithm. The results show that a maximum error of less than 0.05 CCD pixel occurs with the 3 pixel algorithms and 0.1 CCD pixel for the 2 pixel algorithm. An improvement is proposed by utilising straight pore MCPs in the intensifier and a 70 μm air gap in front of the CCD. ((orig.))

  5. Femtosecond Photon-Counting Receiver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krainak, Michael A.; Rambo, Timothy M.; Yang, Guangning; Lu, Wei; Numata, Kenji

    2016-01-01

    An optical correlation receiver is described that provides ultra-precise distance and/or time/pulse-width measurements even for weak (single photons) and short (femtosecond) optical signals. A new type of optical correlation receiver uses a fourth-order (intensity) interferometer to provide micron distance measurements even for weak (single photons) and short (femtosecond) optical signals. The optical correlator uses a low-noise-integrating detector that can resolve photon number. The correlation (range as a function of path delay) is calculated from the variance of the photon number of the difference of the optical signals on the two detectors. Our preliminary proof-of principle data (using a short-pulse diode laser transmitter) demonstrates tens of microns precision.

  6. X-ray imaging with photon counting hybrid semiconductor pixel detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Manolopoulos, S; Campbell, M; Snoeys, W; Heijne, Erik H M; Pernigotti, E; Raine, C; Smith, K; Watt, J; O'Shea, V; Ludwig, J; Schwarz, C

    1999-01-01

    Semiconductor pixel detectors, originally developed for particle physics experiments, have been studied as X-ray imaging devices. The performance of devices using the OMEGA 3 read-out chip bump-bonded to pixellated silicon semiconductor detectors is characterised in terms of their signal-to-noise ratio when exposed to 60 kVp X-rays. Although parts of the devices achieve values of this ratio compatible with the noise being photon statistics limited, this is not found to hold for the whole pixel matrix, resulting in the global signal-to-noise ratio being compromised. First results are presented of X-ray images taken with a gallium arsenide pixel detector bump-bonded to a new read-out chip, (MEDIPIX), which is a single photon counting read-out chip incorporating a 15-bit counter in every pixel. (author)

  7. High resolution micro-CT of low attenuating organic materials using large area photon-counting detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumpová, I.; Jandejsek, I.; Jakůbek, J.; Vopálenský, M.; Vavřík, D.; Fíla, T.; Koudelka, P.; Kytýř, D.; Zlámal, P.; Gantar, A.

    2016-01-01

    To overcome certain limitations of contemporary materials used for bone tissue engineering, such as inflammatory response after implantation, a whole new class of materials based on polysaccharide compounds is being developed. Here, nanoparticulate bioactive glass reinforced gelan-gum (GG-BAG) has recently been proposed for the production of bone scaffolds. This material offers promising biocompatibility properties, including bioactivity and biodegradability, with the possibility of producing scaffolds with directly controlled microgeometry. However, to utilize such a scaffold with application-optimized properties, large sets of complex numerical simulations using the real microgeometry of the material have to be carried out during the development process. Because the GG-BAG is a material with intrinsically very low attenuation to X-rays, its radiographical imaging, including tomographical scanning and reconstructions, with resolution required by numerical simulations might be a very challenging task. In this paper, we present a study on X-ray imaging of GG-BAG samples. High-resolution volumetric images of investigated specimens were generated on the basis of micro-CT measurements using a large area flat-panel detector and a large area photon-counting detector. The photon-counting detector was composed of a 010× 1 matrix of Timepix edgeless silicon pixelated detectors with tiling based on overlaying rows (i.e. assembled so that no gap is present between individual rows of detectors). We compare the results from both detectors with the scanning electron microscopy on selected slices in transversal plane. It has been shown that the photon counting detector can provide approx. 3× better resolution of the details in low-attenuating materials than the integrating flat panel detectors. We demonstrate that employment of a large area photon counting detector is a good choice for imaging of low attenuating materials with the resolution sufficient for numerical

  8. High resolution micro-CT of low attenuating organic materials using large area photon-counting detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumpová, I.; Vavřík, D.; Fíla, T.; Koudelka, P.; Jandejsek, I.; Jakůbek, J.; Kytýř, D.; Zlámal, P.; Vopálenský, M.; Gantar, A.

    2016-02-01

    To overcome certain limitations of contemporary materials used for bone tissue engineering, such as inflammatory response after implantation, a whole new class of materials based on polysaccharide compounds is being developed. Here, nanoparticulate bioactive glass reinforced gelan-gum (GG-BAG) has recently been proposed for the production of bone scaffolds. This material offers promising biocompatibility properties, including bioactivity and biodegradability, with the possibility of producing scaffolds with directly controlled microgeometry. However, to utilize such a scaffold with application-optimized properties, large sets of complex numerical simulations using the real microgeometry of the material have to be carried out during the development process. Because the GG-BAG is a material with intrinsically very low attenuation to X-rays, its radiographical imaging, including tomographical scanning and reconstructions, with resolution required by numerical simulations might be a very challenging task. In this paper, we present a study on X-ray imaging of GG-BAG samples. High-resolution volumetric images of investigated specimens were generated on the basis of micro-CT measurements using a large area flat-panel detector and a large area photon-counting detector. The photon-counting detector was composed of a 010× 1 matrix of Timepix edgeless silicon pixelated detectors with tiling based on overlaying rows (i.e. assembled so that no gap is present between individual rows of detectors). We compare the results from both detectors with the scanning electron microscopy on selected slices in transversal plane. It has been shown that the photon counting detector can provide approx. 3× better resolution of the details in low-attenuating materials than the integrating flat panel detectors. We demonstrate that employment of a large area photon counting detector is a good choice for imaging of low attenuating materials with the resolution sufficient for numerical simulations.

  9. Discrimination Voltage and Overdrive Bias Dependent Performance Evaluation of Passively Quenched SiC Single-Photon-Counting Avalanche Photodiodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Fei; Yang Sen; Zhou Dong; Lu Hai; Zhang Rong; Zheng You-Dou

    2015-01-01

    In many critical civil and emerging military applications, low-level UV detection, sometimes at single photon level, is highly desired. In this work, a mesa-type 4H-SiC UV avalanche photodiode (APD) is designed and fabricated, which exhibits low leakage current and high avalanche gain. When studied by using a passive quenching circuit, the APD exhibits self-quenching characteristics due to its high differential resistance in the avalanche region. The single photon detection efficiency and dark count rate of the APD are evaluated as functions of discrimination voltage and over-drive voltage. The optimized operation conditions of the single photon counting APD are discussed. (paper)

  10. Feasibility of using single photon counting X-ray for lung tumor position estimation based on 4D-CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aschenbrenner, Katharina P; Guthier, Christian V; Lyatskaya, Yulia; Boda-Heggemann, Judit; Wenz, Frederik; Hesser, Jürgen W

    2017-09-01

    In stereotactic body radiation therapy of lung tumors, reliable position estimation of the tumor is necessary in order to minimize normal tissue complication rate. While kV X-ray imaging is frequently used, continuous application during radiotherapy sessions is often not possible due to concerns about the additional dose. Thus, ultra low-dose (ULD) kV X-ray imaging based on a single photon counting detector is suggested. This paper addresses the lower limit of photons to locate the tumor reliably with an accuracy in the range of state-of-the-art methods, i.e. a few millimeters. 18 patient cases with four dimensional CT (4D-CT), which serves as a-priori information, are included in the study. ULD cone beam projections are simulated from the 4D-CTs including Poisson noise. The projections from the breathing phases which correspond to different tumor positions are compared to the ULD projection by means of Poisson log-likelihood (PML) and correlation coefficient (CC), and template matching under these metrics. The results indicate that in full thorax imaging five photons per pixel suffice for a standard deviation in tumor positions of less than half a breathing phase. Around 50 photons per pixel are needed to achieve this accuracy with the field of view restricted to the tumor region. Compared to CC, PML tends to perform better for low photon counts and shifts in patient setup. Template matching only improves the position estimation in high photon counts. The quality of the reconstruction is independent of the projection angle. The accuracy of the proposed ULD single photon counting system is in the range of a few millimeters and therefore comparable to state-of-the-art tumor tracking methods. At the same time, a reduction in photons per pixel by three to four orders of magnitude relative to commercial systems with flatpanel detectors can be achieved. This enables continuous kV image-based position estimation during all fractions since the additional dose to the

  11. Feasibility of using single photon counting X-ray for lung tumor position estimation based on 4D-CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aschenbrenner, Katharina P.; Hesser, Juergen W. [Heidelberg Univ., Mannheim (Germany). Dept. of Experimental Radiation Oncology; Heidelberg Univ. (Germany). IWR; Guthier, Christian V. [Heidelberg Univ., Mannheim (Germany). Dept. of Experimental Radiation Oncology; Lyatskaya, Yulia [Brigham and Women' s Center, Boston, MA (United States); Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Boda-Heggemann, Judit; Wenz, Frederik [Heidelberg Univ., Mannheim (Germany). Dept. of Radiation Oncology

    2017-10-01

    In stereotactic body radiation therapy of lung tumors, reliable position estimation of the tumor is necessary in order to minimize normal tissue complication rate. While kV X-ray imaging is frequently used, continuous application during radiotherapy sessions is often not possible due to concerns about the additional dose. Thus, ultra low-dose (ULD) kV X-ray imaging based on a single photon counting detector is suggested. This paper addresses the lower limit of photons to locate the tumor reliably with an accuracy in the range of state-of-the-art methods, i.e. a few millimeters. 18 patient cases with four dimensional CT (4D-CT), which serves as a-priori information, are included in the study. ULD cone beam projections are simulated from the 4D-CTs including Poisson noise. The projections from the breathing phases which correspond to different tumor positions are compared to the ULD projection by means of Poisson log-likelihood (PML) and correlation coefficient (CC), and template matching under these metrics. The results indicate that in full thorax imaging five photons per pixel suffice for a standard deviation in tumor positions of less than half a breathing phase. Around 50 photons per pixel are needed to achieve this accuracy with the field of view restricted to the tumor region. Compared to CC, PML tends to perform better for low photon counts and shifts in patient setup. Template matching only improves the position estimation in high photon counts. The quality of the reconstruction is independent of the projection angle. The accuracy of the proposed ULD single photon counting system is in the range of a few millimeters and therefore comparable to state-of-the-art tumor tracking methods. At the same time, a reduction in photons per pixel by three to four orders of magnitude relative to commercial systems with flatpanel detectors can be achieved. This enables continuous kV image-based position estimation during all fractions since the additional dose to the

  12. Feasibility of using single photon counting X-ray for lung tumor position estimation based on 4D-CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aschenbrenner, Katharina P.; Hesser, Juergen W.; Boda-Heggemann, Judit; Wenz, Frederik

    2017-01-01

    In stereotactic body radiation therapy of lung tumors, reliable position estimation of the tumor is necessary in order to minimize normal tissue complication rate. While kV X-ray imaging is frequently used, continuous application during radiotherapy sessions is often not possible due to concerns about the additional dose. Thus, ultra low-dose (ULD) kV X-ray imaging based on a single photon counting detector is suggested. This paper addresses the lower limit of photons to locate the tumor reliably with an accuracy in the range of state-of-the-art methods, i.e. a few millimeters. 18 patient cases with four dimensional CT (4D-CT), which serves as a-priori information, are included in the study. ULD cone beam projections are simulated from the 4D-CTs including Poisson noise. The projections from the breathing phases which correspond to different tumor positions are compared to the ULD projection by means of Poisson log-likelihood (PML) and correlation coefficient (CC), and template matching under these metrics. The results indicate that in full thorax imaging five photons per pixel suffice for a standard deviation in tumor positions of less than half a breathing phase. Around 50 photons per pixel are needed to achieve this accuracy with the field of view restricted to the tumor region. Compared to CC, PML tends to perform better for low photon counts and shifts in patient setup. Template matching only improves the position estimation in high photon counts. The quality of the reconstruction is independent of the projection angle. The accuracy of the proposed ULD single photon counting system is in the range of a few millimeters and therefore comparable to state-of-the-art tumor tracking methods. At the same time, a reduction in photons per pixel by three to four orders of magnitude relative to commercial systems with flatpanel detectors can be achieved. This enables continuous kV image-based position estimation during all fractions since the additional dose to the

  13. Development of a single-photon-counting camera with use of a triple-stacked micro-channel plate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasuda, Naruomi; Suzuki, Hitoshi; Katafuchi, Tetsuro

    2016-01-01

    At the quantum-mechanical level, all substances (not merely electromagnetic waves such as light and X-rays) exhibit wave–particle duality. Whereas students of radiation science can easily understand the wave nature of electromagnetic waves, the particle (photon) nature may elude them. Therefore, to assist students in understanding the wave–particle duality of electromagnetic waves, we have developed a photon-counting camera that captures single photons in two-dimensional images. As an image intensifier, this camera has a triple-stacked micro-channel plate (MCP) with an amplification factor of 10(6). The ultra-low light of a single photon entering the camera is first converted to an electron through the photoelectric effect on the photocathode. The electron is intensified by the triple-stacked MCP and then converted to a visible light distribution, which is measured by a high-sensitivity complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor. Because it detects individual photons, the photon-counting camera is expected to provide students with a complete understanding of the particle nature of electromagnetic waves. Moreover, it measures ultra-weak light that cannot be detected by ordinary low-sensitivity cameras. Therefore, it is suitable for experimental research on scintillator luminescence, biophoton detection, and similar topics.

  14. Polychromatic Iterative Statistical Material Image Reconstruction for Photon-Counting Computed Tomography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Weidinger

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This work proposes a dedicated statistical algorithm to perform a direct reconstruction of material-decomposed images from data acquired with photon-counting detectors (PCDs in computed tomography. It is based on local approximations (surrogates of the negative logarithmic Poisson probability function. Exploiting the convexity of this function allows for parallel updates of all image pixels. Parallel updates can compensate for the rather slow convergence that is intrinsic to statistical algorithms. We investigate the accuracy of the algorithm for ideal photon-counting detectors. Complementarily, we apply the algorithm to simulation data of a realistic PCD with its spectral resolution limited by K-escape, charge sharing, and pulse-pileup. For data from both an ideal and realistic PCD, the proposed algorithm is able to correct beam-hardening artifacts and quantitatively determine the material fractions of the chosen basis materials. Via regularization we were able to achieve a reduction of image noise for the realistic PCD that is up to 90% lower compared to material images form a linear, image-based material decomposition using FBP images. Additionally, we find a dependence of the algorithms convergence speed on the threshold selection within the PCD.

  15. Update on Linear Mode Photon Counting with the HgCdTe Linear Mode Avalanche Photodiode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, Jeffrey D.; Kinch, Mike; Sun, Xiaoli

    2014-01-01

    The behavior of the gain-voltage characteristic of the mid-wavelength infrared cutoff HgCdTe linear mode avalanche photodiode (e-APD) is discussed both experimentally and theoretically as a function of the width of the multiplication region. Data are shown that demonstrate a strong dependence of the gain at a given bias voltage on the width of the n- gain region. Geometrical and fundamental theoretical models are examined to explain this behavior. The geometrical model takes into account the gain-dependent optical fill factor of the cylindrical APD. The theoretical model is based on the ballistic ionization model being developed for the HgCdTe APD. It is concluded that the fundamental theoretical explanation is the dominant effect. A model is developed that combines both the geometrical and fundamental effects. The model also takes into account the effect of the varying multiplication width in the low bias region of the gain-voltage curve. It is concluded that the lower than expected gain seen in the first 2 × 8 HgCdTe linear mode photon counting APD arrays, and higher excess noise factor, was very likely due to the larger than typical multiplication region length in the photon counting APD pixel design. The implications of these effects on device photon counting performance are discussed.

  16. Linear Mode HgCdTe Avalanche Photodiodes for Photon Counting Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, William, III; Beck, Jeffrey; Scritchfield, Richard; Skokan, Mark; Mitra, Pradip; Sun, Xiaoli; Abshire, James; Carpenter, Darren; Lane, Barry

    2015-01-01

    An overview of recent improvements in the understanding and maturity of linear mode photon counting with HgCdTe electron-initiated avalanche photodiodes is presented. The first HgCdTe LMPC 2x8 format array fabricated in 2011 with 64 micron pitch was a remarkable success in terms of demonstrating a high single photon signal to noise ratio of 13.7 with an excess noise factor of 1.3-1.4, a 7 ns minimum time between events, and a broad spectral response extending from 0.4 micron to 4.2 micron. The main limitations were a greater than 10x higher false event rate than expected of greater than 1 MHz, a 5-7x lower than expected APD gain, and a photon detection efficiency of only 50% when greater than 60% was expected. This paper discusses the reasons behind these limitations and the implementation of their mitigations with new results.

  17. Microcomputed tomography with a second generation photon-counting x-ray detector: contrast analysis and material separation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, X.; Meier, D.; Oya, P.; Maehlum, G. E.; Wagenaar, D. J.; Tsui, B. M. W.; Patt, B. E.; Frey, E. C.

    2010-04-01

    The overall aim of this work was to evaluate the potential for improving in vivo small animal microCT through the use of an energy resolved photon-counting detector. To this end, we developed and evaluated a prototype microCT system based on a second-generation photon-counting x-ray detector which simultaneously counted photons with energies above six energy thresholds. First, we developed a threshold tuning procedure to reduce the dependence of detector uniformity and to reduce ring artifacts. Next, we evaluated the system in terms of the contrast-to-noise ratio in different energy windows for different target materials. These differences provided the possibility to weight the data acquired in different windows in order to optimize the contrast-to-noise ratio. We also explored the ability of the system to use data from different energy windows to aid in distinguishing various materials. We found that the energy discrimination capability provided the possibility for improved contrast-to-noise ratios and allowed separation of more than two materials, e.g., bone, soft-tissue and one or more contrast materials having K-absorption edges in the energy ranges of interest.

  18. Reflections on hard X-ray photon-in/photon-out spectroscopy for electronic structure studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glatzel, Pieter, E-mail: glatzel@esrf.fr [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble (France); Weng, Tsu-Chien; Kvashnina, Kristina; Swarbrick, Janine; Sikora, Marcin [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble (France); Gallo, Erik [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble (France); Department of Inorganic, Physical and Materials Chemistry, INSTM Reference Center and NIS Centre of Excellence, Università di Torino, Via P. Giuria 7, I-10125 Torino (Italy); Smolentsev, Nikolay [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble (France); Research Center for Nanoscale Structure of Matter, Southern Federal University, str. Zorge 5, 344090 Rostov-on-Don (Russian Federation); Mori, Roberto Alonso [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 6 Rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble (France)

    2013-06-15

    Highlights: ► Overview of some recent developments in hard X-ray RXES/RIXS. ► Evaluation of spectral line broadening in RXES/RIXS. ► Modelling of RXES/RIXS by ground state DFT calculations. ► Discussion on when HERFD provides a good approximation to XAS. -- Abstract: An increasing community of researchers in various fields of natural sciences is combining X-ray absorption with X-ray emission spectroscopy (XAS–XES) to study electronic structure. With the applications becoming more diverse, the objectives and the requirements in photon-in/photon-out spectroscopy are becoming broader. It is desirable to find simple experimental protocols, robust data reduction and theoretical tools that help the experimentalist to understand their data and learn about the electronic structure. This article presents a collection of considerations on non-resonant and resonant XES with the aim to guide the experimentalist to make good use of this technique.

  19. Photon-counting hexagonal pixel array CdTe detector: Spatial resolution characteristics for image-guided interventional applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vedantham, Srinivasan; Shrestha, Suman; Karellas, Andrew, E-mail: andrew.karellas@umassmed.edu; Shi, Linxi; Gounis, Matthew J. [Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655 (United States); Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Spandre, Gloria; Brez, Alessandro; Minuti, Massimo [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Pisa 56127, Italy and Pixirad Imaging Counters s.r.l., L. Pontecorvo 3, Pisa 56127 (Italy)

    2016-05-15

    Purpose: High-resolution, photon-counting, energy-resolved detector with fast-framing capability can facilitate simultaneous acquisition of precontrast and postcontrast images for subtraction angiography without pixel registration artifacts and can facilitate high-resolution real-time imaging during image-guided interventions. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the spatial resolution characteristics of a hexagonal pixel array photon-counting cadmium telluride (CdTe) detector. Methods: A 650 μm thick CdTe Schottky photon-counting detector capable of concurrently acquiring up to two energy-windowed images was operated in a single energy-window mode to include photons of 10 keV or higher. The detector had hexagonal pixels with apothem of 30 μm resulting in pixel pitch of 60 and 51.96 μm along the two orthogonal directions. The detector was characterized at IEC-RQA5 spectral conditions. Linear response of the detector was determined over the air kerma rate relevant to image-guided interventional procedures ranging from 1.3 nGy/frame to 91.4 μGy/frame. Presampled modulation transfer was determined using a tungsten edge test device. The edge-spread function and the finely sampled line spread function accounted for hexagonal sampling, from which the presampled modulation transfer function (MTF) was determined. Since detectors with hexagonal pixels require resampling to square pixels for distortion-free display, the optimal square pixel size was determined by minimizing the root-mean-squared-error of the aperture functions for the square and hexagonal pixels up to the Nyquist limit. Results: At Nyquist frequencies of 8.33 and 9.62 cycles/mm along the apothem and orthogonal to the apothem directions, the modulation factors were 0.397 and 0.228, respectively. For the corresponding axis, the limiting resolution defined as 10% MTF occurred at 13.3 and 12 cycles/mm, respectively. Evaluation of the aperture functions yielded an optimal square pixel size of 54

  20. Limits on Achievable Dimensional and Photon Efficiencies with Intensity-Modulation and Photon-Counting Due to Non-Ideal Photon-Counter Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moision, Bruce; Erkmen, Baris I.; Farr, William; Dolinar, Samuel J.; Birnbaum, Kevin M.

    2012-01-01

    An ideal intensity-modulated photon-counting channel can achieve unbounded photon information efficiencies (PIEs). However, a number of limitations of a physical system limit the practically achievable PIE. In this paper, we discuss several of these limitations and illustrate their impact on the channel. We show that, for the Poisson channel, noise does not strictly bound PIE, although there is an effective limit, as the dimensional information efficiency goes as e[overline] e PIE beyond a threshold PIE. Since the Holevo limit is bounded in the presence of noise, this illustrates that the Poisson approximation is invalid at large PIE for any number of noise modes. We show that a finite transmitter extinction ratio bounds the achievable PIE to a maximum that is logarithmic in the extinction ratio. We show how detector jitter limits the ability to mitigate noise in the PPM signaling framework. We illustrate a method to model detector blocking when the number of detectors is large, and illustrate mitigation of blocking with spatial spreading and altering. Finally, we illustrate the design of a high photon efficiency system using state-of-the-art photo-detectors and taking all these effects into account.

  1. Photon emission spectroscopy of ion-atom collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nystroem, B.

    1995-10-01

    Emission cross sections for the 1snp 1 P 1 -levels have been measured by photon emission spectroscopy for the collision systems He + + He at 10 keV and He 2+ + He at 10-35 keV. Photon spectra of Krypton (Kr VIII) and Xenon (Xe V - IX) have also been obtained using 10q keV beams of Kr q+ (q=7-9) and Xe q+ (q=5-9) colliding with Helium and Argon. The Lifetimes of 3p 2 P-levels in Na-like Nb are reported together with lifetime for the 3s3p 3 P 1 -level in Mg-like Ni, Kr, Y, Zr and Nb where this level has an intercombination transition to the ground state. 45 refs, 20 figs

  2. Evaluation of mixed-signal noise effects in photon-counting X-ray image sensor readout circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundgren, Jan; Abdalla, Suliman; O'Nils, Mattias; Oelmann, Bengt

    2006-01-01

    In readout electronics for photon-counting pixel detectors, the tight integration between analog and digital blocks causes the readout electronics to be sensitive to on-chip noise coupling. This noise coupling can result in faulty luminance values in grayscale X-ray images, or as color distortions in a color X-ray imaging system. An exploration of simulating noise coupling in readout circuits is presented which enables the discovery of sensitive blocks at as early a stage as possible, in order to avoid costly design iterations. The photon-counting readout system has been simulated for noise coupling in order to highlight the existing problems of noise coupling in X-ray imaging systems. The simulation results suggest that on-chip noise coupling should be considered and simulated in future readout electronics systems for X-ray detectors

  3. Infrared photon-echo spectroscopy of water : The thermalization effects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pshenichnikov, Maxim S.; Yeremenko, Sergey; Wiersma, Douwe A.; Kobayashi, Takayoshi; Kobayashi, Tetsuro; Nelson, Keith A.; Okada, Tadashi; Silvestri, Sandro De

    2005-01-01

    The larger part of the nonlinear response in IR photon-echo and transient-grating spectroscopy on HDO-D2O mixtures at > 1-ps delays is found to originate from the D2O refractive index modulation due to local volume thermalization.

  4. Dual-contrast agent photon-counting computed tomography of the heart: initial experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Symons, Rolf; Cork, Tyler E; Lakshmanan, Manu N; Evers, Robert; Davies-Venn, Cynthia; Rice, Kelly A; Thomas, Marvin L; Liu, Chia-Ying; Kappler, Steffen; Ulzheimer, Stefan; Sandfort, Veit; Bluemke, David A; Pourmorteza, Amir

    2017-08-01

    To determine the feasibility of dual-contrast agent imaging of the heart using photon-counting detector (PCD) computed tomography (CT) to simultaneously assess both first-pass and late enhancement of the myocardium. An occlusion-reperfusion canine model of myocardial infarction was used. Gadolinium-based contrast was injected 10 min prior to PCD CT. Iodinated contrast was infused immediately prior to PCD CT, thus capturing late gadolinium enhancement as well as first-pass iodine enhancement. Gadolinium and iodine maps were calculated using a linear material decomposition technique and compared to single-energy (conventional) images. PCD images were compared to in vivo and ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology. For infarct versus remote myocardium, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was maximal on late enhancement gadolinium maps (CNR 9.0 ± 0.8, 6.6 ± 0.7, and 0.4 ± 0.4, p contrast agent cardiac imaging is feasible with photon-counting detector CT. These initial proof-of-concept results may provide incentives to develop new k-edge contrast agents, to investigate possible interactions between multiple simultaneously administered contrast agents, and to ultimately bring them to clinical practice.

  5. An area efficient readout architecture for photon counting color imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundgren, Jan; O'Nils, Mattias; Oelmann, Bengt; Norlin, Boerje; Abdalla, Suliman

    2007-01-01

    The introduction of several energy levels, namely color imaging, in photon counting X-ray image sensors is a trade-off between circuit complexity and spatial resolution. In this paper, we propose a pixel architecture that has full resolution for the intensity and uses sub-sampling for the energy spectrum. The results show that this sub-sampling pixel architecture produces images with an image quality which is, on average, 2.4 dB (PSNR) higher than those for a single energy range architecture and with half the circuit complexity of that for a full sampling architecture

  6. 25 ns software correlator for photon and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magatti, Davide; Ferri, Fabio

    2003-02-01

    A 25 ns time resolution, multi-tau software correlator developed in LABVIEW based on the use of a standard photon counting unit, a fast timer/counter board (6602-PCI National Instrument) and a personal computer (PC) (1.5 GHz Pentium 4) is presented and quantitatively discussed. The correlator works by processing the stream of incoming data in parallel according to two different algorithms: For large lag times (τ⩾100 μs), a classical time-mode (TM) scheme, based on the measure of the number of pulses per time interval, is used; differently, for τ⩽100 μs a photon-mode (PM) scheme is adopted and the time sequence of the arrival times of the photon pulses is measured. By combining the two methods, we developed a system capable of working out correlation functions on line, in full real time for the TM correlator and partially in batch processing for the PM correlator. For the latter one, the duty cycle depends on the count rate of the incoming pulses, being ˜100% for count rates ⩽3×104 Hz, ˜15% at 105 Hz, and ˜1% at 106 Hz. For limitations imposed by the fairly small first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer available on the counter board, the maximum count rate permissible for a proper functioning of the PM correlator is limited to ˜105 Hz. However, this limit can be removed by using a board with a deeper FIFO. Similarly, the 25 ns time resolution is only limited by maximum clock frequency available on the 6602-PCI and can be easily improved by using a faster clock. When tested on dilute solutions of calibrated latex spheres, the overall performances of the correlator appear to be comparable with those of commercial hardware correlators, but with several nontrivial advantages related to its flexibility, low cost, and easy adaptability to future developments of PC and data acquisition technology.

  7. Spectroscopic micro-tomography of metallic-organic composites by means of photon-counting detectors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pichotka, Martin; Jakůbek, Jan; Vavřík, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 10, č. 12 (2015), C12033 ISSN 1748-0221 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1219 Keywords : micro-tomography * photon-counting detectors * metallic-organic composites Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 1.310, year: 2015 http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-0221/10/12/C12033/pdf

  8. Microcalcification detectability using a bench-top prototype photon-counting breast CT based on a Si strip detector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Hyo-Min; Ding, Huanjun; Barber, William C; Iwanczyk, Jan S; Molloi, Sabee

    2015-07-01

    To investigate the feasibility of detecting breast microcalcification (μCa) with a dedicated breast computed tomography (CT) system based on energy-resolved photon-counting silicon (Si) strip detectors. The proposed photon-counting breast CT system and a bench-top prototype photon-counting breast CT system were simulated using a simulation package written in matlab to determine the smallest detectable μCa. A 14 cm diameter cylindrical phantom made of breast tissue with 20% glandularity was used to simulate an average-sized breast. Five different size groups of calcium carbonate grains, from 100 to 180 μm in diameter, were simulated inside of the cylindrical phantom. The images were acquired with a mean glandular dose (MGD) in the range of 0.7-8 mGy. A total of 400 images was used to perform a reader study. Another simulation study was performed using a 1.6 cm diameter cylindrical phantom to validate the experimental results from a bench-top prototype breast CT system. In the experimental study, a bench-top prototype CT system was constructed using a tungsten anode x-ray source and a single line 256-pixels Si strip photon-counting detector with a pixel pitch of 100 μm. Calcium carbonate grains, with diameter in the range of 105-215 μm, were embedded in a cylindrical plastic resin phantom to simulate μCas. The physical phantoms were imaged at 65 kVp with an entrance exposure in the range of 0.6-8 mGy. A total of 500 images was used to perform another reader study. The images were displayed in random order to three blinded observers, who were asked to give a 4-point confidence rating on each image regarding the presence of μCa. The μCa detectability for each image was evaluated by using the average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) across the readers. The simulation results using a 14 cm diameter breast phantom showed that the proposed photon-counting breast CT system can achieve high detection accuracy with an average AUC greater

  9. Soft x-ray spectroscopy undulator beamline at the Advanced Photon Source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Randall, K.J.; Xu, Z.; Moore, J.F.; Gluskin, E.

    1997-09-01

    Construction of the high-resolution soft x ray spectroscopy undulator beamline, 2ID-C, at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) has been completed. The beamline, one of two soft x ray beamlines at the APS, will cover the photon energy range from 500 to 3,000 eV, with a maximum resolving power between 7,000 and 14,000. The optical design is based on a spherical grating monochromator (SGM) giving both high resolution and high flux throughput. Photon flux is calculated to be approximately 10{sup 12}--10{sup 13} photons per second with a beam size of approximately 1 x 1 mm{sup 2} at the sample.

  10. Photon emission spectroscopy of ion-atom collisions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nystroem, B

    1995-10-01

    Emission cross sections for the 1snp{sup 1}P{sub 1}-levels have been measured by photon emission spectroscopy for the collision systems He{sup +} + He at 10 keV and He{sup 2+} + He at 10-35 keV. Photon spectra of Krypton (Kr VIII) and Xenon (Xe V - IX) have also been obtained using 10q keV beams of Kr{sup q+} (q=7-9) and Xe{sup q+} (q=5-9) colliding with Helium and Argon. The Lifetimes of 3p{sup 2}P-levels in Na-like Nb are reported together with lifetime for the 3s3p{sup 3}P{sub 1}-level in Mg-like Ni, Kr, Y, Zr and Nb where this level has an intercombination transition to the ground state. 45 refs, 20 figs.

  11. Single photon counting fluorescence lifetime detection of pericellular oxygen concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosny, Neveen A; Lee, David A; Knight, Martin M

    2012-01-01

    Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy offers a non-invasive method for quantifying local oxygen concentrations. However, existing methods are either invasive, require custom-made systems, or show limited spatial resolution. Therefore, these methods are unsuitable for investigation of pericellular oxygen concentrations. This study describes an adaptation of commercially available equipment which has been optimized for quantitative extracellular oxygen detection with high lifetime accuracy and spatial resolution while avoiding systematic photon pile-up. The oxygen sensitive fluorescent dye, tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chloride hexahydrate [Ru(bipy)(3)](2+), was excited using a two-photon excitation laser. Lifetime was measured using a Becker & Hickl time-correlated single photon counting, which will be referred to as a TCSPC card. [Ru(bipy)(3)](2+) characterization studies quantified the influences of temperature, pH, cellular culture media and oxygen on the fluorescence lifetime measurements. This provided a precisely calibrated and accurate system for quantification of pericellular oxygen concentration based on measured lifetimes. Using this technique, quantification of oxygen concentrations around isolated viable chondrocytes, seeded in three-dimensional agarose gel, revealed a subpopulation of cells that exhibited significant spatial oxygen gradients such that oxygen concentration reduced with increasing proximity to the cell. This technique provides a powerful tool for quantifying spatial oxygen gradients within three-dimensional cellular models.

  12. Detector Motion Method to Increase Spatial Resolution in Photon-Counting Detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Daehee; Park, Kyeongjin; Lim, Kyung Taek; Cho, Gyuseong [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejon (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    Medical imaging requires high spatial resolution of an image to identify fine lesions. Photoncounting detectors in medical imaging have recently been rapidly replacing energy-integrating detectors due to the former's high spatial resolution, high efficiency and low noise. Spatial resolution in a photon counting image is determined by the pixel size. Therefore, the smaller the pixel size, the higher the spatial resolution that can be obtained in an image. However, detector redesigning is required to reduce pixel size, and an expensive fine process is required to integrate a signal processing unit with reduced pixel size. Furthermore, as the pixel size decreases, charge sharing severely deteriorates spatial resolution. To increase spatial resolution, we propose a detector motion method using a large pixel detector that is less affected by charge sharing. To verify the proposed method, we utilized a UNO-XRI photon-counting detector (1-mm CdTe, Timepix chip) at the maximum X-ray tube voltage of 80 kVp. A similar spatial resolution of a 55-μm-pixel image was achieved by application of the proposed method to a 110-μm-pixel detector with a higher signal-to-noise ratio. The proposed method could be a way to increase spatial resolution without a pixel redesign when pixels severely suffer from charge sharing as pixel size is reduced.

  13. Fluorescence Lifetime Correlation Spectroscopy (FLCS): Concepts, Applications and Outlook

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kapusta, Peter; Macháň, Radek; Benda, A.; Hof, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 10 (2012), s. 12890-12910 E-ISSN 1422-0067 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP208/12/G016 Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) * time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) * fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 2.464, year: 2012

  14. Ralicon anodes for image photon counting fabricated by electron beam lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burton, W.M.

    1982-01-01

    The Anger wedge and strip anode event location system developed for microchannel plate image photon detectors at the Space Sciences Laboratory of the University of California, Berkeley, has been extended in the present work by the use of electron beam lithography (EBL). This method of fabrication can be used to produce optical patterns for the subsequent manufacture of anodes by conventional photo-etching methods and has also enabled anodes to be produced directly by EBL microfabrication techniques. Computer-aided design methods have been used to develop several types of RALICON (Readout Anodes of Lithographic Construction) for use in photon counting microchannel plate imaging detectors. These anodes are suitable for linear, two dimensional or radial position measurements and they incorporate novel design features made possible by the EBL fabrication technique which significantly extend their application relative to published wedge-strip anode designs. (author)

  15. Sensitivity of photon-counting based K-edge imaging in X-ray computed tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roessl, Ewald; Brendel, Bernhard; Engel, Klaus-Jürgen; Schlomka, Jens-Peter; Thran, Axel; Proksa, Roland

    2011-09-01

    The feasibility of K-edge imaging using energy-resolved, photon-counting transmission measurements in X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been demonstrated by simulations and experiments. The method is based on probing the discontinuities of the attenuation coefficient of heavy elements above and below the K-edge energy by using energy-sensitive, photon counting X-ray detectors. In this paper, we investigate the dependence of the sensitivity of K-edge imaging on the atomic number Z of the contrast material, on the object diameter D , on the spectral response of the X-ray detector and on the X-ray tube voltage. We assume a photon-counting detector equipped with six adjustable energy thresholds. Physical effects leading to a degradation of the energy resolution of the detector are taken into account using the concept of a spectral response function R(E,U) for which we assume four different models. As a validation of our analytical considerations and in order to investigate the influence of elliptically shaped phantoms, we provide CT simulations of an anthropomorphic Forbild-Abdomen phantom containing a gold-contrast agent. The dependence on the values of the energy thresholds is taken into account by optimizing the achievable signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) with respect to the threshold values. We find that for a given X-ray spectrum and object size the SNR in the heavy element's basis material image peaks for a certain atomic number Z. The dependence of the SNR in the high- Z basis-material image on the object diameter is the natural, exponential decrease with particularly deteriorating effects in the case where the attenuation from the object itself causes a total signal loss below the K-edge. The influence of the energy-response of the detector is very important. We observed that the optimal SNR values obtained with an ideal detector and with a CdTe pixel detector whose response, showing significant tailing, has been determined at a synchrotron differ by factors of

  16. Evaluation of conventional imaging performance in a research whole-body CT system with a photon-counting detector array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Zhicong; Leng, Shuai; Jorgensen, Steven M; Li, Zhoubo; Gutjahr, Ralf; Chen, Baiyu; Halaweish, Ahmed F; Kappler, Steffen; Yu, Lifeng; Ritman, Erik L; McCollough, Cynthia H

    2016-02-21

    This study evaluated the conventional imaging performance of a research whole-body photon-counting CT system and investigated its feasibility for imaging using clinically realistic levels of x-ray photon flux. This research system was built on the platform of a 2nd generation dual-source CT system: one source coupled to an energy integrating detector (EID) and the other coupled to a photon-counting detector (PCD). Phantom studies were conducted to measure CT number accuracy and uniformity for water, CT number energy dependency for high-Z materials, spatial resolution, noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio. The results from the EID and PCD subsystems were compared. The impact of high photon flux, such as pulse pile-up, was assessed by studying the noise-to-tube-current relationship using a neonate water phantom and high x-ray photon flux. Finally, clinical feasibility of the PCD subsystem was investigated using anthropomorphic phantoms, a cadaveric head, and a whole-body cadaver, which were scanned at dose levels equivalent to or higher than those used clinically. Phantom measurements demonstrated that the PCD subsystem provided comparable image quality to the EID subsystem, except that the PCD subsystem provided slightly better longitudinal spatial resolution and about 25% improvement in contrast-to-noise ratio for iodine. The impact of high photon flux was found to be negligible for the PCD subsystem: only subtle high-flux effects were noticed for tube currents higher than 300 mA in images of the neonate water phantom. Results of the anthropomorphic phantom and cadaver scans demonstrated comparable image quality between the EID and PCD subsystems. There were no noticeable ring, streaking, or cupping/capping artifacts in the PCD images. In addition, the PCD subsystem provided spectral information. Our experiments demonstrated that the research whole-body photon-counting CT system is capable of providing clinical image quality at clinically realistic levels of x

  17. Evaluation of conventional imaging performance in a research whole-body CT system with a photon-counting detector array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Zhicong; Leng, Shuai; Li, Zhoubo; Chen, Baiyu; Yu, Lifeng; McCollough, Cynthia H; Jorgensen, Steven M; Ritman, Erik L; Gutjahr, Ralf; Kappler, Steffen; Halaweish, Ahmed F

    2016-01-01

    This study evaluated the conventional imaging performance of a research whole-body photon-counting CT system and investigated its feasibility for imaging using clinically realistic levels of x-ray photon flux. This research system was built on the platform of a 2nd generation dual-source CT system: one source coupled to an energy integrating detector (EID) and the other coupled to a photon-counting detector (PCD). Phantom studies were conducted to measure CT number accuracy and uniformity for water, CT number energy dependency for high-Z materials, spatial resolution, noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio. The results from the EID and PCD subsystems were compared. The impact of high photon flux, such as pulse pile-up, was assessed by studying the noise-to-tube-current relationship using a neonate water phantom and high x-ray photon flux. Finally, clinical feasibility of the PCD subsystem was investigated using anthropomorphic phantoms, a cadaveric head, and a whole-body cadaver, which were scanned at dose levels equivalent to or higher than those used clinically. Phantom measurements demonstrated that the PCD subsystem provided comparable image quality to the EID subsystem, except that the PCD subsystem provided slightly better longitudinal spatial resolution and about 25% improvement in contrast-to-noise ratio for iodine. The impact of high photon flux was found to be negligible for the PCD subsystem: only subtle high-flux effects were noticed for tube currents higher than 300 mA in images of the neonate water phantom. Results of the anthropomorphic phantom and cadaver scans demonstrated comparable image quality between the EID and PCD subsystems. There were no noticeable ring, streaking, or cupping/capping artifacts in the PCD images. In addition, the PCD subsystem provided spectral information. Our experiments demonstrated that the research whole-body photon-counting CT system is capable of providing clinical image quality at clinically realistic levels of x

  18. Measurement of scintillation decay curves by a single photon counting technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noguchi, Tsutomu

    1978-01-01

    An improved apparatus suitable for the measurement of spectroscopic scintillation decay curves has been developed by combination of a single photon counting technique and a delayed coincidence method. The time resolution of the apparatus is improved up to 1.16 nsec (FWHM), which is obtained from the resolution function of the system for very weak Cherenkov light flashes. Systematic measurement of scintillation decay curves is made for liquid and crystal scintillators including PPO-toluene, PBD-xylene, PPO-POPOP-toluene, anthracene and stilbene. (auth.)

  19. A 32-channel photon counting module with embedded auto/cross-correlators for real-time parallel fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gong, S.; Labanca, I.; Rech, I.; Ghioni, M. [Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

    2014-10-15

    Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a well-established technique to study binding interactions or the diffusion of fluorescently labeled biomolecules in vitro and in vivo. Fast FCS experiments require parallel data acquisition and analysis which can be achieved by exploiting a multi-channel Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array and a corresponding multi-input correlator. This paper reports a 32-channel FPGA based correlator able to perform 32 auto/cross-correlations simultaneously over a lag-time ranging from 10 ns up to 150 ms. The correlator is included in a 32 × 1 SPAD array module, providing a compact and flexible instrument for high throughput FCS experiments. However, some inherent features of SPAD arrays, namely afterpulsing and optical crosstalk effects, may introduce distortions in the measurement of auto- and cross-correlation functions. We investigated these limitations to assess their impact on the module and evaluate possible workarounds.

  20. A 32-channel photon counting module with embedded auto/cross-correlators for real-time parallel fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong, S.; Labanca, I.; Rech, I.; Ghioni, M.

    2014-01-01

    Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a well-established technique to study binding interactions or the diffusion of fluorescently labeled biomolecules in vitro and in vivo. Fast FCS experiments require parallel data acquisition and analysis which can be achieved by exploiting a multi-channel Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array and a corresponding multi-input correlator. This paper reports a 32-channel FPGA based correlator able to perform 32 auto/cross-correlations simultaneously over a lag-time ranging from 10 ns up to 150 ms. The correlator is included in a 32 × 1 SPAD array module, providing a compact and flexible instrument for high throughput FCS experiments. However, some inherent features of SPAD arrays, namely afterpulsing and optical crosstalk effects, may introduce distortions in the measurement of auto- and cross-correlation functions. We investigated these limitations to assess their impact on the module and evaluate possible workarounds

  1. Photon counting arrays for AO wavefront sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Vallerga, J; McPhate, J; Mikulec, Bettina; Clark, Allan G; Siegmund, O; CERN. Geneva

    2005-01-01

    Future wavefront sensors for AO on large telescopes will require a large number of pixels and must operate at high frame rates. Unfortunately for CCDs, there is a readout noise penalty for operating faster, and this noise can add up rather quickly when considering the number of pixels required for the extended shape of a sodium laser guide star observed with a large telescope. Imaging photon counting detectors have zero readout noise and many pixels, but have suffered in the past with low QE at the longer wavelengths (>500 nm). Recent developments in GaAs photocathode technology, CMOS ASIC readouts and FPGA processing electronics have resulted in noiseless WFS detector designs that are competitive with silicon array detectors, though at ~40% the QE of CCDs. We review noiseless array detectors and compare their centroiding performance with CCDs using the best available characteristics of each. We show that for sub-aperture binning of 6x6 and greater that noiseless detectors have a smaller centroid error at flu...

  2. Ultra-broadband THz time-domain spectroscopy of common polymers using THz air photonics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    D’Angelo, Francesco; Mics, Zoltán; Bonn, Mischa

    2014-01-01

    -domain spectrometer employing air-photonics for the generation and detection of single-cycle sub-50 fs THz transients. The time domain measurements provide direct access to both the absorption and refractive index spectra. The polymers LDPE and TOPAS® demonstrate negligible absorption and spectrally-flat refractive...... index across the entire spectroscopy window, revealing the high potential of these polymers for applications in THz photonics such as ultra-broadband polymer-based dielectric mirrors, waveguides, and fibers. Resonant high-frequency polar vibrational modes are observed and assigned in polymers PA6...... and PTFE, and their dielectric functions in the complete frequency window 2-15 THz are theoretically reproduced. Our results demonstrate the potential of ultrabroadband air-photonics-based THz time domain spectroscopy as a valuable analytic tool for materials science....

  3. Statistical method for resolving the photon-photoelectron-counting inversion problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Jinlong; Li Tiejun; Peng, Xiang; Guo Hong

    2011-01-01

    A statistical inversion method is proposed for the photon-photoelectron-counting statistics in quantum key distribution experiment. With the statistical viewpoint, this problem is equivalent to the parameter estimation for an infinite binomial mixture model. The coarse-graining idea and Bayesian methods are applied to deal with this ill-posed problem, which is a good simple example to show the successful application of the statistical methods to the inverse problem. Numerical results show the applicability of the proposed strategy. The coarse-graining idea for the infinite mixture models should be general to be used in the future.

  4. Absolute dose calibration of an X-ray system and dead time investigations of photon-counting techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Carpentieri, C; Ludwig, J; Ashfaq, A; Fiederle, M

    2002-01-01

    High precision concerning the dose calibration of X-ray sources is required when counting and integrating methods are compared. The dose calibration for a dental X-ray tube was executed with special dose calibration equipment (dosimeter) as function of exposure time and rate. Results were compared with a benchmark spectrum and agree within +-1.5%. Dead time investigations with the Medipix1 photon-counting chip (PCC) have been performed by rate variations. Two different types of dead time, paralysable and non-paralysable will be discussed. The dead time depends on settings of the front-end electronics and is a function of signal height, which might lead to systematic defects of systems. Dead time losses in excess of 30% have been found for the PCC at 200 kHz absorbed photons per pixel.

  5. ChromAIX2: A large area, high count-rate energy-resolving photon counting ASIC for a Spectral CT Prototype

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steadman, Roger; Herrmann, Christoph; Livne, Amir

    2017-08-01

    Spectral CT based on energy-resolving photon counting detectors is expected to deliver additional diagnostic value at a lower dose than current state-of-the-art CT [1]. The capability of simultaneously providing a number of spectrally distinct measurements not only allows distinguishing between photo-electric and Compton interactions but also discriminating contrast agents that exhibit a K-edge discontinuity in the absorption spectrum, referred to as K-edge Imaging [2]. Such detectors are based on direct converting sensors (e.g. CdTe or CdZnTe) and high-rate photon counting electronics. To support the development of Spectral CT and show the feasibility of obtaining rates exceeding 10 Mcps/pixel (Poissonian observed count-rate), the ChromAIX ASIC has been previously reported showing 13.5 Mcps/pixel (150 Mcps/mm2 incident) [3]. The ChromAIX has been improved to offer the possibility of a large area coverage detector, and increased overall performance. The new ASIC is called ChromAIX2, and delivers count-rates exceeding 15 Mcps/pixel with an rms-noise performance of approximately 260 e-. It has an isotropic pixel pitch of 500 μm in an array of 22×32 pixels and is tile-able on three of its sides. The pixel topology consists of a two stage amplifier (CSA and Shaper) and a number of test features allowing to thoroughly characterize the ASIC without a sensor. A total of 5 independent thresholds are also available within each pixel, allowing to acquire 5 spectrally distinct measurements simultaneously. The ASIC also incorporates a baseline restorer to eliminate excess currents induced by the sensor (e.g. dark current and low frequency drifts) which would otherwise cause an energy estimation error. In this paper we report on the inherent electrical performance of the ChromAXI2 as well as measurements obtained with CZT (CdZnTe)/CdTe sensors and X-rays and radioactive sources.

  6. A comparative analysis of OTF, NPS, and DQE in energy integrating and photon counting digital x-ray detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acciavatti, Raymond J.; Maidment, Andrew D. A.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: One of the benefits of photon counting (PC) detectors over energy integrating (EI) detectors is the absence of many additive noise sources, such as electronic noise and secondary quantum noise. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that thresholding voltage gains to detect individual x rays actually generates an unexpected source of white noise in photon counters. Methods: To distinguish the two detector types, their point spread function (PSF) is interpreted differently. The PSF of the energy integrating detector is treated as a weighting function for counting x rays, while the PSF of the photon counting detector is interpreted as a probability. Although this model ignores some subtleties of real imaging systems, such as scatter and the energy-dependent amplification of secondary quanta in indirect-converting detectors, it is useful for demonstrating fundamental differences between the two detector types. From first principles, the optical transfer function (OTF) is calculated as the continuous Fourier transform of the PSF, the noise power spectra (NPS) is determined by the discrete space Fourier transform (DSFT) of the autocovariance of signal intensity, and the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) is found from combined knowledge of the OTF and NPS. To illustrate the calculation of the transfer functions, the PSF is modeled as the convolution of a Gaussian with the product of rect functions. The Gaussian reflects the blurring of the x-ray converter, while the rect functions model the sampling of the detector. Results: The transfer functions are first calculated assuming outside noise sources such as electronic noise and secondary quantum noise are negligible. It is demonstrated that while OTF is the same for two detector types possessing an equivalent PSF, a frequency-independent (i.e., ''white'') difference in their NPS exists such that NPS PC ≥NPS EI and hence DQE PC ≤DQE EI . The necessary and sufficient condition for equality is that the PSF

  7. Photon Activation Analysis Of Light Elements Using 'Non-Gamma' Radiation Spectroscopy - The Instrumental Determination Of Phosphorus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Segebade, Christian; Goerner, Wolf

    2011-01-01

    Unlike metal determinations the analysis of light elements (e.g., carbon, oxygen, phosphorus) is frequently problematic, in particular if analysed instrumentally. In photon activation analysis (PAA) the respective activation products do not emit gamma radiation in the most cases. Usually, annihilation quanta counting and subsequent decay curve analysis have been used for determinations of C, N, O, and F. However, radiochemical separation of the respective radioisotopes mostly is indispensable. For several reasons, some of the light elements cannot be analysed following this procedure, e.g. phosphorus. In this contribution the instrumental PAA of phosphorus in organic matrix by activation with bremsstrahlung of an electron linear accelerator and subsequent beta spectroscopy is described. The accuracy of the results was excellent as obtained by analysis of a BCR Reference Material.

  8. Two-photon-excited fluorescence spectroscopy of atomic fluorine at 170 nm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herring, G. C.; Dyer, Mark J.; Jusinski, Leonard E.; Bischel, William K.

    1988-01-01

    Two-photon-excited fluorescence spectroscopy of atomic fluorine is reported. A doubled dye laser at 286-nm is Raman shifted in H2 to 170 nm (sixth anti-Stokes order) to excite ground-state 2P(0)J fluorine atoms to the 2D(0)J level. The fluorine atoms are detected by one of two methods: observing the fluorescence decay to the 2PJ level or observing F(+) production through the absorption of an additional photon by the excited atoms. Relative two-photon absorption cross sections to and the radiative lifetimes of the 2D(0)J states are measured.

  9. Cascaded systems analysis of photon counting detectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, J; Zbijewski, W; Gang, G; Stayman, J W; Taguchi, K; Lundqvist, M; Fredenberg, E; Carrino, J A; Siewerdsen, J H

    2014-10-01

    Photon counting detectors (PCDs) are an emerging technology with applications in spectral and low-dose radiographic and tomographic imaging. This paper develops an analytical model of PCD imaging performance, including the system gain, modulation transfer function (MTF), noise-power spectrum (NPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE). A cascaded systems analysis model describing the propagation of quanta through the imaging chain was developed. The model was validated in comparison to the physical performance of a silicon-strip PCD implemented on an experimental imaging bench. The signal response, MTF, and NPS were measured and compared to theory as a function of exposure conditions (70 kVp, 1-7 mA), detector threshold, and readout mode (i.e., the option for coincidence detection). The model sheds new light on the dependence of spatial resolution, charge sharing, and additive noise effects on threshold selection and was used to investigate the factors governing PCD performance, including the fundamental advantages and limitations of PCDs in comparison to energy-integrating detectors (EIDs) in the linear regime for which pulse pileup can be ignored. The detector exhibited highly linear mean signal response across the system operating range and agreed well with theoretical prediction, as did the system MTF and NPS. The DQE analyzed as a function of kilovolt (peak), exposure, detector threshold, and readout mode revealed important considerations for system optimization. The model also demonstrated the important implications of false counts from both additive electronic noise and charge sharing and highlighted the system design and operational parameters that most affect detector performance in the presence of such factors: for example, increasing the detector threshold from 0 to 100 (arbitrary units of pulse height threshold roughly equivalent to 0.5 and 6 keV energy threshold, respectively), increased the f50 (spatial-frequency at which the MTF falls to a value of

  10. Maturing CCD Photon-Counting Technology for Space Flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallik, Udayan; Lyon, Richard; Petrone, Peter; McElwain, Michael; Benford, Dominic; Clampin, Mark; Hicks, Brian

    2015-01-01

    This paper discusses charge blooming and starlight saturation - two potential technical problems - when using an Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Device (EMCCD) type detector in a high-contrast instrument for imaging exoplanets. These problems especially affect an interferometric type coronagraph - coronagraphs that do not use a mask to physically block starlight in the science channel of the instrument. These problems are presented using images taken with a commercial Princeton Instrument EMCCD camera in the Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC), Interferometric Coronagraph facility. In addition, this paper discusses techniques to overcome such problems. This paper also discusses the development and architecture of a Field Programmable Gate Array and Digital-to-Analog Converter based shaped clock controller for a photon-counting EMCCD camera. The discussion contained here will inform high-contrast imaging groups in their work with EMCCD detectors.

  11. Imaging of small children with a prototype for photon counting tomosynthesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Risco Norrlid, Lilián; Fredenberg, Erik; Hemmendorff, Magnus; Jackowski, Christian; Danielsson, Mats

    2009-02-01

    We present data on a first prototype for photon counting tomosynthesis imaging of small children, which we call photoncounting tomosynthesis (PCT). A photon counting detector can completely eliminate electronic noise, which makes it ideal for tomosynthesis because of the low dose in each projection. Another advantage is that the detector allows for energy sensitivity in later versions, which will further lower the radiation dose. In-plane resolution is high and has been measured to be 5 lp/mm, at least 4 times better than in CT, while the depth resolution was significantly lower than typical CT resolution. The image SNR decreased from 30 to 10 for a detail of 10 mm depth in increasing thickness of PMMA from 10 to 80 mm. The air kerma measured for PCT was 5.2 mGy, which leads to an organ dose to the brain of approximately 0.7 mGy. This dose is 96 % lower than a typical CT dose. PCT can be appealing for pediatric imaging since young children have an increased sensitivity to radiation induced cancers. We have acquired post mortem images of a newborn with the new device and with a state-of-the-art CT and compared the diagnostic information and dose levels of the two modalities. The results are promising but more work is needed to provide input to a next generation prototype that would be suitable for clinical trials.

  12. A simulator for airborne laser swath mapping via photon counting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slatton, K. C.; Carter, W. E.; Shrestha, R.

    2005-06-01

    Commercially marketed airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM) instruments currently use laser rangers with sufficient energy per pulse to work with return signals of thousands of photons per shot. The resulting high signal to noise level virtually eliminates spurious range values caused by noise, such as background solar radiation and sensor thermal noise. However, the high signal level approach requires laser repetition rates of hundreds of thousands of pulses per second to obtain contiguous coverage of the terrain at sub-meter spatial resolution, and with currently available technology, affords little scalability for significantly downsizing the hardware, or reducing the costs. A photon-counting ALSM sensor has been designed by the University of Florida and Sigma Space, Inc. for improved topographic mapping with lower power requirements and weight than traditional ALSM sensors. Major elements of the sensor design are presented along with preliminary simulation results. The simulator is being developed so that data phenomenology and target detection potential can be investigated before the system is completed. Early simulations suggest that precise estimates of terrain elevation and target detection will be possible with the sensor design.

  13. Resonance Enhanced Multi-photon Spectroscopy of DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ligare, Marshall Robert

    For over 50 years DNA has been studied to better understand its connection to life and evolution. These past experiments have led to our understanding of its structure and function in the biological environment but the interaction of DNA with UV radiation at the molecular level is still not very well understood. Unique mechanisms in nucleobase chromaphores protect us from adverse chemical reactions after UV absorption. Studying these processes can help develop theories for prebiotic chemistry and the possibility of alternative forms of DNA. Using resonance enhanced multi-photon spectroscopic techniques in the gas phase allow for the structure and dynamics of individual nucleobases to be studied in detail. Experiments studying different levels of structure/complexity with relation to their biological function are presented. Resonant IR multiphoton dissociation spectroscopy in conjunction with molecular mechanics and DFT calculations are used to determine gas phase structures of anionic nucleotide clusters. A comparison of the identified structures with known biological function shows how the hydrogen bonding of the nucleotides and their clusters free of solvent create favorable structures for quick incorporation into enzymes such as DNA polymerase. Resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy techniques such as resonant two photon ionization (R2PI) and IR-UV double resonance are used to further elucidate the structure and excited state dynamics of the bare nucleobases thymine and uracil. Both exhibit long lived excited electronic states that have been implicated in DNA photolesions which can ultimately lead to melanoma and carcinoma. Our experimental data in comparison with many quantum chemical calculations suggest a new picture for the dynamics of thymine and uracil in the gas phase. A high probability of UV absorption from a vibrationally hot ground state to the excited electronic state shows that the stability of thymine and uracil comes from

  14. Technical feasibility proof for high-resolution low-dose photon-counting CT of the breast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kalender, Willi A.; Kolditz, Daniel; Lueck, Ferdinand [University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Institute of Medical Physics (IMP), Erlangen (Germany); CT Imaging GmbH, Erlangen (Germany); Steiding, Christian [University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Institute of Medical Physics (IMP), Erlangen (Germany); CT Imaging GmbH, Erlangen (Germany); University Hospital of Erlangen, Institute of Radiology, Erlangen (Germany); Ruth, Veikko; Roessler, Ann-Christin [University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Institute of Medical Physics (IMP), Erlangen (Germany); Wenkel, Evelyn [University Hospital of Erlangen, Institute of Radiology, Erlangen (Germany)

    2017-03-15

    X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been proposed and evaluated multiple times as a potentially alternative method for breast imaging. All efforts shown so far have been criticized and partly disapproved because of their limited spatial resolution and higher patient dose when compared to mammography. Our concept for a dedicated breast CT (BCT) scanner therefore aimed at novel apparatus and detector design to provide high spatial resolution of about 100 μm and average glandular dose (AGD) levels of 5 mGy or below. Photon-counting technology was considered as a solution to reach these goals. The complete concept was previously evaluated and confirmed by simulations and basic experiments on laboratory setups. We here present measurements of dose, technical image quality parameters and surgical specimen results on such a scanner. For comparison purposes, the specimens were also imaged with digital mammography (DM) and breast tomosynthesis (BT) apparatus. Results show that photon-counting BCT (pcBCT) at 5 mGy AGD offers sufficiently high 3D spatial resolution for reliable detectability of calcifications and soft tissue delineation. (orig.)

  15. WE-DE-207B-01: Optimization for Contrast-Enhanced Spectral Mammography Based On Photon-Counting Detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, H; Molloi, S [University of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of optimizing the imaging parameters for contrast-enhanced spectral mammography based on Si strip photon-counting detectors. Methods: A computer simulation model using polyenergetic spectra from a tungsten anode x-ray tube and a Si-based photon-counting detector was evaluated for contrast-enhanced spectral mammography. The simulation traces the emission of photons from the x-ray source, attenuation through the breast and subsequent absorption in the detector. The breast was modeled as a mixture of adipose and mammary gland tissues with a breast density of 30%. A 4 mm iodine signal with a concentration of 4 mg/ml was used to simulate the enhancement of a lesion. Quantum efficiency of the detector was calculated based on the effective attenuation length in the Si strips. The figure-of-merit (FOM), which was defined as the decomposed iodine signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with respect to the square root of the mean glandular dose (MGD), was chosen to optimize the imaging parameters, in terms of beam energy, splitting energy, and pre-filtrations for breast of various thicknesses and densities. Results: The optimal imaging parameters, which lead to the highest FOM, were found at a beam energy of 45 kVp with a splitting energy at 34 keV for an averaged breast thickness of 4 cm with a standard 0.75 mm Al pre-filtration. The optimal tube voltage varied slightly from 46 to 44 kVp as the breast thickness increases from 2 to 8 cm. The optimal tube voltage decreased to 42 kVp when the Al pre-filtration was increased to 3 mm. Conclusion: This simulation study predicted the optimal imaging parameters for application of photon-counting spectral mammography to contrast-enhanced imaging. The simulation results laid the ground work for future phantom and clinical studies. Grant funding from Philips Medical Systems.

  16. Initial steps toward the realization of large area arrays of single photon counting pixels based on polycrystalline silicon TFTs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Albert K.; Koniczek, Martin; Antonuk, Larry E.; El-Mohri, Youcef; Zhao, Qihua; Jiang, Hao; Street, Robert A.; Lu, Jeng Ping

    2014-03-01

    The thin-film semiconductor processing methods that enabled creation of inexpensive liquid crystal displays based on amorphous silicon transistors for cell phones and televisions, as well as desktop, laptop and mobile computers, also facilitated the development of devices that have become ubiquitous in medical x-ray imaging environments. These devices, called active matrix flat-panel imagers (AMFPIs), measure the integrated signal generated by incident X rays and offer detection areas as large as ~43×43 cm2. In recent years, there has been growing interest in medical x-ray imagers that record information from X ray photons on an individual basis. However, such photon counting devices have generally been based on crystalline silicon, a material not inherently suited to the cost-effective manufacture of monolithic devices of a size comparable to that of AMFPIs. Motivated by these considerations, we have developed an initial set of small area prototype arrays using thin-film processing methods and polycrystalline silicon transistors. These prototypes were developed in the spirit of exploring the possibility of creating large area arrays offering single photon counting capabilities and, to our knowledge, are the first photon counting arrays fabricated using thin film techniques. In this paper, the architecture of the prototype pixels is presented and considerations that influenced the design of the pixel circuits, including amplifier noise, TFT performance variations, and minimum feature size, are discussed.

  17. Absolute atomic hydrogen density distribution in a hollow cathode discharge by two-photon polarization spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalo, A B; Rosa, M I de la; Perez, C; Mar, S; Gruetzmacher, K

    2004-01-01

    We report on quantitative measurements of ground-state atomic hydrogen densities in a stationary plasma far off thermodynamic equilibrium, generated in a hollow cathode discharge, by two-photon polarization spectroscopy via the 1S-2S transition. Absolute densities are obtained using a well established calibration method based on the non-resonant two-photon polarization signal of xenon gas at room temperature, which serves as the reference at the wavelength of the hydrogen transition. This study is dedicated to demonstrating the capability of two-photon polarization spectroscopy close to the detection limit. Therefore, it requires single-longitudinal mode UV-laser radiation provided by an advanced UV-laser spectrometer

  18. Chip-interleaved optical code division multiple access relying on a photon-counting iterative successive interference canceller for free-space optical channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xiaolin; Zheng, Xiaowei; Zhang, Rong; Hanzo, Lajos

    2013-07-01

    In this paper, we design a novel Poisson photon-counting based iterative successive interference cancellation (SIC) scheme for transmission over free-space optical (FSO) channels in the presence of both multiple access interference (MAI) as well as Gamma-Gamma atmospheric turbulence fading, shot-noise and background light. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme exhibits a strong MAI suppression capability. Importantly, an order of magnitude of BER improvements may be achieved compared to the conventional chip-level optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) photon-counting detector.

  19. Spatio-energetic cross talk in photon counting detectors: Detector model and correlated Poisson data generator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taguchi, Katsuyuki; Polster, Christoph; Lee, Okkyun; Stierstorfer, Karl; Kappler, Steffen

    2016-12-01

    An x-ray photon interacts with photon counting detectors (PCDs) and generates an electron charge cloud or multiple clouds. The clouds (thus, the photon energy) may be split between two adjacent PCD pixels when the interaction occurs near pixel boundaries, producing a count at both of the pixels. This is called double-counting with charge sharing. (A photoelectric effect with K-shell fluorescence x-ray emission would result in double-counting as well). As a result, PCD data are spatially and energetically correlated, although the output of individual PCD pixels is Poisson distributed. Major problems include the lack of a detector noise model for the spatio-energetic cross talk and lack of a computationally efficient simulation tool for generating correlated Poisson data. A Monte Carlo (MC) simulation can accurately simulate these phenomena and produce noisy data; however, it is not computationally efficient. In this study, the authors developed a new detector model and implemented it in an efficient software simulator that uses a Poisson random number generator to produce correlated noisy integer counts. The detector model takes the following effects into account: (1) detection efficiency; (2) incomplete charge collection and ballistic effect; (3) interaction with PCDs via photoelectric effect (with or without K-shell fluorescence x-ray emission, which may escape from the PCDs or be reabsorbed); and (4) electronic noise. The correlation was modeled by using these two simplifying assumptions: energy conservation and mutual exclusiveness. The mutual exclusiveness is that no more than two pixels measure energy from one photon. The effect of model parameters has been studied and results were compared with MC simulations. The agreement, with respect to the spectrum, was evaluated using the reduced χ 2 statistics or a weighted sum of squared errors, χ red 2 (≥1), where χ red 2 =1 indicates a perfect fit. The model produced spectra with flat field irradiation that

  20. Two photon processes in surface photovoltage spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Craig, R.P.; Thurgate, S.M.

    1996-01-01

    Full text: A significant mid-gap effect has been found in Surface Photovoltage Spectroscopy measurements of cleaved GaAs, InP and Si wafer which is normally interpreted as arising from transitions between surface states and band edges. This large mid-gap effect common to various materials is puzzling as such a high proportion of mid-gap states seems unlikely. Most theories of surface states predict states that tail from the band edges into the gap or states that have a well defined energy in the gap. None propose a large state exactly at E G /2. We recently investigated the variation in SPS spectra with flux density. We find a non-linear correlation in the magnitude of Band-Bending arising from mid-gap and band-gap photon energies. We suggest that the mid-gap feature is due to a two photon absorption process leading to carrier pair generation mediated by mid-gap states in the continuum of band-gap surface states

  1. Three-photon laser spectroscopy of even-parity bound states of samarium atom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomonaj, O.Yi.; Kudelich, O.Yi.

    2002-01-01

    The energy spectrum of highly-excited even-parity bound states of a Sm atom, lying in the energy range 34421.1 - 36031.8 cm -1 , is investigated using three-photon resonance-ionization spectroscopy. The energies and total momenta of 48 levels are determined. Eight new levels not observed before are discovered. Thirteen intense two-photon transitions, which can be used in the schemes of Sm atom effective photoionization, are observed

  2. Cascaded systems analysis of photon counting detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, J.; Zbijewski, W.; Gang, G.; Stayman, J. W.; Taguchi, K.; Carrino, J. A.; Lundqvist, M.; Fredenberg, E.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Photon counting detectors (PCDs) are an emerging technology with applications in spectral and low-dose radiographic and tomographic imaging. This paper develops an analytical model of PCD imaging performance, including the system gain, modulation transfer function (MTF), noise-power spectrum (NPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE). Methods: A cascaded systems analysis model describing the propagation of quanta through the imaging chain was developed. The model was validated in comparison to the physical performance of a silicon-strip PCD implemented on an experimental imaging bench. The signal response, MTF, and NPS were measured and compared to theory as a function of exposure conditions (70 kVp, 1–7 mA), detector threshold, and readout mode (i.e., the option for coincidence detection). The model sheds new light on the dependence of spatial resolution, charge sharing, and additive noise effects on threshold selection and was used to investigate the factors governing PCD performance, including the fundamental advantages and limitations of PCDs in comparison to energy-integrating detectors (EIDs) in the linear regime for which pulse pileup can be ignored. Results: The detector exhibited highly linear mean signal response across the system operating range and agreed well with theoretical prediction, as did the system MTF and NPS. The DQE analyzed as a function of kilovolt (peak), exposure, detector threshold, and readout mode revealed important considerations for system optimization. The model also demonstrated the important implications of false counts from both additive electronic noise and charge sharing and highlighted the system design and operational parameters that most affect detector performance in the presence of such factors: for example, increasing the detector threshold from 0 to 100 (arbitrary units of pulse height threshold roughly equivalent to 0.5 and 6 keV energy threshold, respectively), increased the f 50 (spatial-frequency at

  3. Cascaded systems analysis of photon counting detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, J.; Zbijewski, W.; Gang, G.; Stayman, J. W. [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Taguchi, K.; Carrino, J. A. [Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Lundqvist, M.; Fredenberg, E. [Philips Healthcare, Solna 171 41 (Sweden); Siewerdsen, J. H., E-mail: jeff.siewerdsen@jhu.edu [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States)

    2014-10-15

    Purpose: Photon counting detectors (PCDs) are an emerging technology with applications in spectral and low-dose radiographic and tomographic imaging. This paper develops an analytical model of PCD imaging performance, including the system gain, modulation transfer function (MTF), noise-power spectrum (NPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE). Methods: A cascaded systems analysis model describing the propagation of quanta through the imaging chain was developed. The model was validated in comparison to the physical performance of a silicon-strip PCD implemented on an experimental imaging bench. The signal response, MTF, and NPS were measured and compared to theory as a function of exposure conditions (70 kVp, 1–7 mA), detector threshold, and readout mode (i.e., the option for coincidence detection). The model sheds new light on the dependence of spatial resolution, charge sharing, and additive noise effects on threshold selection and was used to investigate the factors governing PCD performance, including the fundamental advantages and limitations of PCDs in comparison to energy-integrating detectors (EIDs) in the linear regime for which pulse pileup can be ignored. Results: The detector exhibited highly linear mean signal response across the system operating range and agreed well with theoretical prediction, as did the system MTF and NPS. The DQE analyzed as a function of kilovolt (peak), exposure, detector threshold, and readout mode revealed important considerations for system optimization. The model also demonstrated the important implications of false counts from both additive electronic noise and charge sharing and highlighted the system design and operational parameters that most affect detector performance in the presence of such factors: for example, increasing the detector threshold from 0 to 100 (arbitrary units of pulse height threshold roughly equivalent to 0.5 and 6 keV energy threshold, respectively), increased the f{sub 50} (spatial

  4. Two-photon direct frequency comb spectroscopy of alkali atoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palm, Christopher; Pradhananga, Trinity; Nguyen, Khoa; Montcrieffe, Caitlin; Kimball, Derek

    2012-11-01

    We have studied transition frequencies and excited state hyperfine structure in rubidium using 2-photon transitions excited directly with the frequency-doubled output of a erbium fiber optical frequency comb. The frequency comb output is directed in two counterpropagating directions through a vapor cell containing the rubidium vapor. A pair of optical filters is used to select teeth of the comb in order to identify the transition wavelengths. A photomultiplier tube (PMT) measures fluorescence from a decay channel wavelength selected with another optical filter. Using different combinations of filters enables a wide range of transitions to be investigated. By scanning the repetition rate, a Doppler-free spectrum can be obtained enabling kHz-resolution spectral measurements. An interesting dependence of the 2-photon spectrum on the energy of the intermediate state of the 2-photon transition is discussed. Our investigations are laying the groundwork for a long-term research program to use direct frequency comb spectroscopy to understand the complex spectra of rare-earth atoms.

  5. Analysis of photon count data from single-molecule fluorescence experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burzykowski, T.; Szubiakowski, J.; Rydén, T.

    2003-03-01

    We consider single-molecule fluorescence experiments with data in the form of counts of photons registered over multiple time-intervals. Based on the observation schemes, linking back to works by Dehmelt [Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 20 (1975) 60] and Cook and Kimble [Phys. Rev. Lett. 54 (1985) 1023], we propose an analytical approach to the data based on the theory of Markov-modulated Poisson processes (MMPP). In particular, we consider maximum-likelihood estimation. The method is illustrated using a real-life dataset. Additionally, the properties of the proposed method are investigated through simulations and compared to two other approaches developed by Yip et al. [J. Phys. Chem. A 102 (1998) 7564] and Molski [Chem. Phys. Lett. 324 (2000) 301].

  6. Si-strip photon counting detectors for contrast-enhanced spectral mammography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Buxin; Reiser, Ingrid; Wessel, Jan C.; Malakhov, Nail; Wawrzyniak, Gregor; Hartsough, Neal E.; Gandhi, Thulasi; Chen, Chin-Tu; Iwanczyk, Jan S.; Barber, William C.

    2015-08-01

    We report on the development of silicon strip detectors for energy-resolved clinical mammography. Typically, X-ray integrating detectors based on scintillating cesium iodide CsI(Tl) or amorphous selenium (a-Se) are used in most commercial systems. Recently, mammography instrumentation has been introduced based on photon counting Si strip detectors. The required performance for mammography in terms of the output count rate, spatial resolution, and dynamic range must be obtained with sufficient field of view for the application, thus requiring the tiling of pixel arrays and particular scanning techniques. Room temperature Si strip detector, operating as direct conversion x-ray sensors, can provide the required speed when connected to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) operating at fast peaking times with multiple fixed thresholds per pixel, provided that the sensors are designed for rapid signal formation across the X-ray energy ranges of the application. We present our methods and results from the optimization of Si-strip detectors for contrast enhanced spectral mammography. We describe the method being developed for quantifying iodine contrast using the energy-resolved detector with fixed thresholds. We demonstrate the feasibility of the method by scanning an iodine phantom with clinically relevant contrast levels.

  7. Range walk error correction and modeling on Pseudo-random photon counting system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Shanshan; Chen, Qian; He, Weiji

    2017-08-01

    Signal to noise ratio and depth accuracy are modeled for the pseudo-random ranging system with two random processes. The theoretical results, developed herein, capture the effects of code length and signal energy fluctuation are shown to agree with Monte Carlo simulation measurements. First, the SNR is developed as a function of the code length. Using Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (GMAPDs), longer code length is proven to reduce the noise effect and improve SNR. Second, the Cramer-Rao lower bound on range accuracy is derived to justify that longer code length can bring better range accuracy. Combined with the SNR model and CRLB model, it is manifested that the range accuracy can be improved by increasing the code length to reduce the noise-induced error. Third, the Cramer-Rao lower bound on range accuracy is shown to converge to the previously published theories and introduce the Gauss range walk model to range accuracy. Experimental tests also converge to the presented boundary model in this paper. It has been proven that depth error caused by the fluctuation of the number of detected photon counts in the laser echo pulse leads to the depth drift of Time Point Spread Function (TPSF). Finally, numerical fitting function is used to determine the relationship between the depth error and the photon counting ratio. Depth error due to different echo energy is calibrated so that the corrected depth accuracy is improved to 1cm.

  8. Photonics

    CERN Document Server

    Andrews, David L

    2015-01-01

    Discusses the basic physical principles underlying Biomedical Photonics, spectroscopy and microscopy This volume discusses biomedical photonics, spectroscopy and microscopy, the basic physical principles underlying the technology and its applications. The topics discussed in this volume are: Biophotonics; Fluorescence and Phosphorescence; Medical Photonics; Microscopy; Nonlinear Optics; Ophthalmic Technology; Optical Tomography; Optofluidics; Photodynamic Therapy; Image Processing; Imaging Systems; Sensors; Single Molecule Detection; Futurology in Photonics. Comprehensive and accessible cov

  9. Study of the effective inverse photon efficiency using optical emission spectroscopy combined with cavity ring-down spectroscopy approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xingwei; Li, Cong; Wang, Yong; Wang, Zhiwei; Feng, Chunlei; Ding, Hongbin

    2015-09-01

    The hydrocarbon impurities formation is inevitable due to wall erosion in a long pulse high performance scenario with carbon-based plasma facing materials in fusion devices. The standard procedure to determine the chemical erosion yield in situ is by means of inverse photon efficiency D/XB. In this work, the conversion factor between CH4 flux and photon flux of CH A → X transition (effective inverse photon efficiency PE-1) was measured directly using a cascaded arc plasma simulator with argon/methane. This study shows that the measured PE-1 is different from the calculated D/XB. We compared the photon flux measured by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and calculated by electron impact excitation of CH(X) which was diagnosed by cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). It seems that charge exchange and dissociative recombination processes are the main channels of CH(A) production and removal which lead to the inconsistency of PE -1 and D/XB at lower temperature. Meanwhile, the fraction of excited CH(A) produced by dissociative recombination processes was investigated, and we found it increased with Te in the range from 4% to 13% at Te definition instead of D/XB since the electron impact excitation is not the only channel of CH(A) production. These results have an effect on evaluating the yield of chemical erosion in divertor of fusion device.

  10. Wide-field time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) microscopy with time resolution below the frame exposure time

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirvonen, Liisa M. [Department of Physics, King' s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Petrášek, Zdeněk [Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Am Klopferspitz 18, D-82152 Martinsried (Germany); Suhling, Klaus, E-mail: klaus.suhling@kcl.ac.uk [Department of Physics, King' s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom)

    2015-07-01

    Fast frame rate CMOS cameras in combination with photon counting intensifiers can be used for fluorescence imaging with single photon sensitivity at kHz frame rates. We show here how the phosphor decay of the image intensifier can be exploited for accurate timing of photon arrival well below the camera exposure time. This is achieved by taking ratios of the intensity of the photon events in two subsequent frames, and effectively allows wide-field TCSPC. This technique was used for measuring decays of ruthenium compound Ru(dpp) with lifetimes as low as 1 μs with 18.5 μs frame exposure time, including in living HeLa cells, using around 0.1 μW excitation power. We speculate that by using an image intensifier with a faster phosphor decay to match a higher camera frame rate, photon arrival time measurements on the nanosecond time scale could well be possible.

  11. Ramsey spectroscopy by direct use of resonant light on isotope atoms for single-photon detuning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Hoon; Choi, Mi Hyun; Moon, Ye Lin; Kim, Seung Jin; Kim, Jung Bog [Korea National University of Education, Cheongwon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-03-15

    We demonstrate Ramsey spectroscopy with cold {sup 87}Rb atoms via a two-photon Raman process. One laser beam has a cross-over resonant frequency on the {sup 85}Rb transition and the other beam has a 6.8 GHz shifted frequency. These two laser beams fulfill the two-photon Raman resonance condition, which involves a single-photon detuning of -2.6 GHz. By implementing these two lasers on cold {sup 87}Rb atoms, we demonstrate Ramsey spectroscopy with an interrogation time of the intermediate state by using π/2 Raman pulses. In our laser system, we can change the single-photon detuning to 1.2, 4.2 or -5.6 GHz by changing the {sup 85}Rb transition line used as a locking signal and an injected sideband. The laser system that directly uses resonant light on isotope atoms will be described in this paper.

  12. Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of sodium and potassium chlorate anions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dain, R. P.; Leavitt, C. M.; Oomens, J.; Steill, J. D.; Groenewold, G. S.; van Stipdonk, M. J.

    2010-01-01

    The structures of gas-phase, metal chlorate anions with the formula [M(ClO3)(2)](-), M = Na and K, were determined using tandem mass spectrometry and infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. Structural assignments for both anions are based on comparisons of the experimental

  13. THz/Infrared Double Resonance Two-Photon Spectroscopy of HD+ for Determination of Fundamental Constants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florin Lucian Constantin

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A double resonance two-photon spectroscopy scheme is discussed to probe jointly rotational and rovibrational transitions of ensembles of trapped HD+ ions. The two-photon transition rates and lightshifts are calculated with the two-photon tensor operator formalism. The rotational lines may be observed with sub-Doppler linewidth at the hertz level and good signal-to-noise ratio, improving the resolution in HD+ spectroscopy beyond the 10−12 level. The experimental accuracy, estimated at the 10−12 level, is comparable with the accuracy of theoretical calculations of HD+ energy levels. An adjustment of selected rotational and rovibrational HD+ lines may add clues to the proton radius puzzle, may provide an independent determination of the Rydberg constant, and may improve the values of proton-to-electron and deuteron-to-proton mass ratios beyond the 10−11 level.

  14. Power distribution and substrate noise coupling investigations on the behavioral level for photon counting imaging readout circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundgren, Jan; Abdalla, Suliman; O'Nils, Mattias; Oelmann, Bengt

    2007-01-01

    In modern mixed-signal system design, there are increasing problems associated with noise coupling caused by switching digital parts to sensitive analog parts. As a consequence, there is a growing necessity to understand these problems. In order to avoid costly design iterations, noise coupling simulations should be initiated as early as possible in the design chain. The problems associated with on-chip noise coupling have been discovered in photon counting pixel detector readout systems, where the level of integration of analog and digital circuits is very high on a very small area, and it would appear that these problems will continue to increase for future system designs in this field. This paper deals with the functionality of utilizing behavioral level models for simulating noise coupling in these readout systems. The methods and models are described and simulation results are shown for a photon counting pixel detector readout system

  15. Kinoform optics applied to X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandy, A R; Narayanan, S; Sprung, M; Su, J-D; Evans-Lutterodt, K; Isakovic, A F; Stein, A

    2010-05-01

    Moderate-demagnification higher-order silicon kinoform focusing lenses have been fabricated to facilitate small-angle X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) experiments. The geometric properties of such lenses, their focusing performance and their applicability for XPCS measurements are described. It is concluded that one-dimensional vertical X-ray focusing via silicon kinoform lenses significantly increases the usable coherent flux from third-generation storage-ring light sources for small-angle XPCS experiments.

  16. A fast and high-sensitive dual-wavelength diffuse optical tomography system using digital lock-in photon-counting technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Weiting; Yi, Xi; Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng

    2014-09-01

    We presented a novel dual-wavelength diffuse optical imaging system which can perform 2-D or 3-D imaging fast and high-sensitively for monitoring the dynamic change of optical parameters. A newly proposed lock-in photon-counting detection method was adopted for week optical signal collection, which brought in excellent property as well as simplified geometry. Fundamental principles of the lock-in photon-counting detection were elaborately demonstrated, and the feasibility was strictly verified by the linearity experiment. Systemic performance of the prototype set up was experimentally accessed, including stray light rejection and inherent interference. Results showed that the system possessed superior anti-interference capability (under 0.58% in darkroom) compared with traditional photon-counting detection, and the crosstalk between two wavelengths was lower than 2.28%. For comprehensive assessment, 2-D phantom experiments towards relatively large dimension model (diameter of 4cm) were conducted. Different absorption targets were imaged to investigate detection sensitivity. Reconstruction image under all conditions was exciting, with a desirable SNR. Study on image quality v.s. integration time put forward a new method for accessing higher SNR with the sacrifice of measuring speed. In summary, the newly developed system showed great potential in promoting detection sensitivity as well as measuring speed. This will make substantial progress in dynamically tracking the blood concentration distribution in many clinical areas, such as small animal disease modeling, human brain activity research and thick tissues (for example, breast) diagnosis.

  17. High energy X-ray photon counting imaging using linear accelerator and silicon strip detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian, Y.; Shimazoe, K.; Yan, X.; Ueda, O.; Ishikura, T.; Fujiwara, T.; Uesaka, M.; Ohno, M.; Tomita, H.; Yoshihara, Y.; Takahashi, H.

    2016-01-01

    A photon counting imaging detector system for high energy X-rays is developed for on-site non-destructive testing of thick objects. One-dimensional silicon strip (1 mm pitch) detectors are stacked to form a two-dimensional edge-on module. Each detector is connected to a 48-channel application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The threshold-triggered events are recorded by a field programmable gate array based counter in each channel. The detector prototype is tested using 950 kV linear accelerator X-rays. The fast CR shaper (300 ns pulse width) of the ASIC makes it possible to deal with the high instant count rate during the 2 μs beam pulse. The preliminary imaging results of several metal and concrete samples are demonstrated.

  18. High energy X-ray photon counting imaging using linear accelerator and silicon strip detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tian, Y., E-mail: cycjty@sophie.q.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Department of Bioengineering, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Shimazoe, K.; Yan, X. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Ueda, O.; Ishikura, T. [Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Fuji, Hino, Tokyo 191-8502 (Japan); Fujiwara, T. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan); Uesaka, M.; Ohno, M. [Nuclear Professional School, the University of Tokyo, 2-22 Shirakata-shirane, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1188 (Japan); Tomita, H. [Department of Quantum Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Yoshihara, Y. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Takahashi, H. [Department of Bioengineering, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

    2016-09-11

    A photon counting imaging detector system for high energy X-rays is developed for on-site non-destructive testing of thick objects. One-dimensional silicon strip (1 mm pitch) detectors are stacked to form a two-dimensional edge-on module. Each detector is connected to a 48-channel application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The threshold-triggered events are recorded by a field programmable gate array based counter in each channel. The detector prototype is tested using 950 kV linear accelerator X-rays. The fast CR shaper (300 ns pulse width) of the ASIC makes it possible to deal with the high instant count rate during the 2 μs beam pulse. The preliminary imaging results of several metal and concrete samples are demonstrated.

  19. Photon-Counting Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for High Resolution Far-Infrared Spectroscopy

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We are developing ultrasensitive Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for high resolution far-infrared spectroscopy applications, with a long-term goal of...

  20. Raman spectroscopy and single-photon source in an ion-cavity system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goncalves de Barros, H.

    2010-01-01

    The work presented in this thesis explores the interaction between a single trapped 40Ca+ ion and the electromagnetic field inside a high-finesse optical cavity. The coupling takes place via the use of a vacuum stimulated Raman transition, which transfers atomic population from the S1/2 to the D3/2 manifolds of the calcium ion producing a photon in the cavity. This photon is measured and properties of the system are evaluated. Spectroscopy measurements of the Raman transitions are performed and all possible transitions are identified for different polarizations of both drive laser and cavity fields. The system is also used to deterministically produce single photons. Simulation curves quantitatively match the experimental results within calibration error bars. The single-photon creation efficiency obtained in this work overcomes previous ion-cavity setups and is comparable to state-of-the-art systems composed of a neutral atom and a cavity operating in the strong coupling regime. (author)

  1. X-ray imaging with sub-micron resolution using large-area photon counting detectors Timepix

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dudak, J.; Karch, J.; Holcova, K.; Zemlicka, J.

    2017-12-01

    As X-ray micro-CT became a popular tool for scientific purposes a number of commercially available CT systems have emerged on the market. Micro-CT systems have, therefore, become widely accessible and the number of research laboratories using them constantly increases. However, even when CT scans with spatial resolution of several micrometers can be performed routinely, data acquisition with sub-micron precision remains a complicated task. Issues come mostly from prolongation of the scan time inevitably connected with the use of nano-focus X-ray sources. Long exposure time increases the noise level in the CT projections. Furthermore, considering the sub-micron resolution even effects like source-spot drift, rotation stage wobble or thermal expansion become significant and can negatively affect the data. The use of dark-current free photon counting detectors as X-ray cameras for such applications can limit the issue of increased image noise in the data, however the mechanical stability of the whole system still remains a problem and has to be considered. In this work we evaluate the performance of a micro-CT system equipped with nano-focus X-ray tube and a large area photon counting detector Timepix for scans with effective pixel size bellow one micrometer.

  2. Proceeding of the workshop on gamma-ray spectroscopy utilizing heavy-ion, photon and RI beams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oshima, Masumi; Sugita, Michiaki; Hayakawa, Takehito [eds.

    1998-03-01

    Three time since 1992, we have held the symposia entitled `Joint Spectroscopy Experiments Utilizing JAERI Tandem-Booster Accelerator` at the Tokai Research Establishment. In the symposia, we have mainly discussed the plans of experiments to be done in this joint program. The joint program started in 1994. Several experiments have been made since and some new results have already come up. This symposium `Gamma-ray Spectroscopy utilizing heavy-ion, Photon and RI beams` was held at Tokai Research Establishment of JAERI. Because this symposium is the first occasion after the program started, the first purpose of the symposium is to present and discuss the experimental results so far obtained using the JAERI Tandem-Booster. The second purpose of the symposium is to discuss new possibilities of gamma-ray spectroscopy using new resources such as RI-beam and Photon-beam. The participants from RIKEN, Tohoku University and JAERI Neutron Science Research Center presented the future plans of experiments with RI-beam at each facility. Compared with these nuclear beams, photon beam provides a completely new tool for the {gamma}-ray spectroscopy, which is achieved by inverse Compton scattering between high-energy electron and laser beams. The 23 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  3. HEPS-BPIX, a single photon counting pixel detector with a high frame rate for the HEPS project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Wei, E-mail: weiw@ihep.ac.cn [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, Beijing 100049 (China); Zhang, Jie; Ning, Zhe; Lu, Yunpeng; Fan, Lei; Li, Huaishen; Jiang, Xiaoshan; Lan, Allan K.; Ouyang, Qun; Wang, Zheng; Zhu, Kejun; Chen, Yuanbo [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, Beijing 100049 (China); Liu, Peng [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)

    2016-11-01

    China's next generation light source, named the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS), is currently under construction. HEPS-BPIX (HEPS-Beijing PIXel) is a dedicated pixel readout chip that operates in single photon counting mode for X-ray applications in HEPS. Designed using CMOS 0.13 µm technology, the chip contains a matrix of 104×72 pixels. Each pixel measures 150 µm×150 µm and has a counting depth of 20 bits. A bump-bonded prototyping detector module with a 300-µm thick silicon sensor was tested in the beamline of Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. A fast stream of X-ray images was demonstrated, and a frame rate of 1.2 kHz was proven, with a negligible dead time. The test results showed an equivalent noise charge of 115 e{sup −} rms after bump bonding and a threshold dispersion of 55 e{sup −} rms after calibration.

  4. Data acquisition card for fluctuation correlation spectroscopy allowing full access to the detected photon sequence

    OpenAIRE

    Eid, JS; Muller, JD; Gratton, E

    2000-01-01

    Typically, fluctuation correlation spectroscopy (FCS) data acquisition cards measure the number of photon events per time interval (i.e., bin) - time mode. Commercial FCS cards combine the bins through hardware in order to calculate the autocorrelation function. Such a design therefore does not yield the time resolved photon sequence, but only the autocorrelation of that sequence. A different acquisition method which measures the number of time intervals between photon events has been impleme...

  5. Controversy among giants: Young's experiment and loss of fringe visibility at low photon-count levels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, William T.

    2011-09-01

    An ideal beam splitter model for an absorber presented by Leonhardt in his book Measuring the Quantum State of Light (Cambridge University Press, 1997) has intriguing implications for the simple Young's fringe experiment in the photon-counting regime. Specifically, it suggests that different results will be obtained depending on whether the light forming the fringes is attenuated at the source or at the slits.

  6. Real-time imaging systems for superconducting nanowire single-photon detector arrays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hofherr, Matthias

    2014-07-01

    Superconducting nanowire singe-photon detectors (SNSPD) are promising detectors in the field of applications, where single-photon resolution is required like in quantum optics, spectroscopy or astronomy. These cryogenic detectors gain from a broad spectrum in the optical and infrared range and deliver low dark counts and low jitter. This work provides a piece of deeper physical understanding of detector functionality in combination with highly engineered readout development. A detailed analysis focuses on the intrinsic detection mechanism of SNSPDs related to the detection in the infrared regime and the evolution of dark counts. With this fundamental knowledge, the next step is the development of a multi-pixel readout at cryogenic conditions. It is demonstrated, how two auspicious multi-pixel readout concepts can be realized, which enables statistical framing like in imaging applications using RSFQ electronics with fast framing rates and the readout of a detector array with continuous real-time single-photon resolution.

  7. A tunable low-energy photon source for high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harter, John W.; Monkman, Eric J.; Shai, Daniel E.; Nie Yuefeng; Uchida, Masaki; Burganov, Bulat; Chatterjee, Shouvik; King, Philip D. C.; Shen, Kyle M.

    2012-01-01

    We describe a tunable low-energy photon source consisting of a laser-driven xenon plasma lamp coupled to a Czerny-Turner monochromator. The combined tunability, brightness, and narrow spectral bandwidth make this light source useful in laboratory-based high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy experiments. The source supplies photons with energies up to ∼7 eV, delivering under typical conditions >10 12 ph/s within a 10 meV spectral bandwidth, which is comparable to helium plasma lamps and many synchrotron beamlines. We first describe the lamp and monochromator system and then characterize its output, with attention to those parameters which are of interest for photoemission experiments. Finally, we present angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data using the light source and compare its performance to a conventional helium plasma lamp.

  8. Initial results from a prototype whole-body photon-counting computed tomography system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Z; Leng, S; Jorgensen, S M; Li, Z; Gutjahr, R; Chen, B; Duan, X; Halaweish, A F; Yu, L; Ritman, E L; McCollough, C H

    X-ray computed tomography (CT) with energy-discriminating capabilities presents exciting opportunities for increased dose efficiency and improved material decomposition analyses. However, due to constraints imposed by the inability of photon-counting detectors (PCD) to respond accurately at high photon flux, to date there has been no clinical application of PCD-CT. Recently, our lab installed a research prototype system consisting of two x-ray sources and two corresponding detectors, one using an energy-integrating detector (EID) and the other using a PCD. In this work, we report the first third-party evaluation of this prototype CT system using both phantoms and a cadaver head. The phantom studies demonstrated several promising characteristics of the PCD sub-system, including improved longitudinal spatial resolution and reduced beam hardening artifacts, relative to the EID sub-system. More importantly, we found that the PCD sub-system offers excellent pulse pileup control in cases of x-ray flux up to 550 mA at 140 kV, which corresponds to approximately 2.5×10 11 photons per cm 2 per second. In an anthropomorphic phantom and a cadaver head, the PCD sub-system provided image quality comparable to the EID sub-system for the same dose level. Our results demonstrate the potential of the prototype system to produce clinically-acceptable images in vivo .

  9. Dicke coherent narrowing in two-photon and Raman spectroscopy of thin vapor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dutier, Gabriel; Todorov, Petko; Hamdi, Ismahene; Maurin, Isabelle; Saltiel, Solomon; Bloch, Daniel; Ducloy, Martial

    2005-01-01

    The principle of coherent Dicke narrowing in a thin vapor cell, in which sub-Doppler spectral line shapes are observed under a normal irradiation for a λ/2 thickness, is generalized to two-photon spectroscopy. Only the sum of the two wave vectors must be normal to the cell, making the two-photon scheme highly versatile. A comparison is provided between the Dicke narrowing with copropagating fields, and the residual Doppler broadening occurring with counterpropagating geometries. The experimental feasibility is discussed on the basis of a first observation of a two-photon resonance in a 300-nm-thick Cs cell. Extension to the Raman situation is finally considered

  10. Photon counting altimeter and lidar for air and spaceborne applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vacek, Michael; Michalek, Vojtech; Peca, Marek; Prochazka, Ivan; Blazej, Josef; Kodet, Jan

    2011-06-01

    We are presenting the concept and preliminary design of modular multipurpose device for space segment: single photon counting laser altimeter, atmospheric lidar, laser transponder and one way laser ranging receiver. For all the mentioned purposes, the same compact configuration of the device is appropriate. Overall estimated device weight should not exceed 5 kg with the power consumption below 10 W. The device will consists of three main parts, namely, receiver, transmitter and control and processing unit. As a transmitter a commercial solid state laser at 532 nm wavelength with 10 mW power will be used. The transmitter optics will have a diameter at most of 50 mm. The laser pulse width will be of hundreds of picoseconds order. For the laser altimeter and atmospheric lidar application, the repetition rate of 10 kHz is planned in order to obtain sufficient number of data for a distance value computing. The receiver device will be composed of active quenched Single Photon Avalanche Diode module, tiny optics, and narrow-band optical filter. The core part of the control and processing unit including high precision timing unit is implemented using single FPGA chip. The preliminary device concept includes considerations on energy balance, and statistical algorithms to meet all the mentioned purposes. Recently, the bread board version of the device is under construction in our labs. The concept, construction, and timing results will be presented.

  11. Commercial counterboard for 10 ns software correlator for photon and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molteni, Matteo; Ferri, Fabio

    2016-11-01

    A 10 ns time resolution, multi-tau software correlator, capable of computing simultaneous autocorrelation (A-A, B-B) and cross (A-B) correlation functions at count rates up to ˜10 MHz, with no data loss, has been developed in LabVIEW and C++ by using the National Instrument timer/counterboard (NI PCIe-6612) and a fast Personal Computer (PC) (Intel Core i7-4790 Processor 3.60 GHz ). The correlator works by using two algorithms: for large lag times (τ ≳ 1 μs), a classical time-mode scheme, based on the measure of the number of pulses per time interval, is used; differently, for τ ≲ 1 μs a photon-mode (PM) scheme is adopted and the correlation function is retrieved from the sequence of the photon arrival times. Single auto- and cross-correlation functions can be processed online in full real time up to count rates of ˜1.8 MHz and ˜1.2 MHz, respectively. Two autocorrelation (A-A, B-B) and a cross correlation (A-B) functions can be simultaneously processed in full real time only up to count rates of ˜750 kHz. At higher count rates, the online processing takes place in a delayed modality, but with no data loss. When tested with simulated correlation data and latex spheres solutions, the overall performances of the correlator appear to be comparable with those of commercial hardware correlators, but with several nontrivial advantages related to its flexibility, low cost, and easy adaptability to future developments of PC and data acquisition technology.

  12. Almost real photons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, H.

    1977-01-01

    High energy photon-proton scattering is expected to bring an important information on strong and electromagnetic interaction, and is discussed in this paper. When the ''mass'' of the photon is less than that of the lightest hadron, it is said ''the photon is almost real''. The photon energy is sufficiently high to check the energy dependence of the gamma-proton total cross section, even in the first stage of TRISTAN. The tagging system consists of four multi-wire proportional chambers (MWPC) and a lead glass Cerenkov counter. The energy of scattered electrons is determined with the Cerenkov counter. The equivalent-photon approximation is a useful method to obtain the counting rates. The estimation of the counting rate was made under the expected value of the total cross section. The estimated counting rate is strong enough for the experiment of the gamma-proton total cross section measurement. (Kato, T.)

  13. High Resolution Gamma Ray Spectroscopy at MHz Counting Rates With LaBr3 Scintillators for Fusion Plasma Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nocente, M.; Tardocchi, M.; Olariu, A.; Olariu, S.; Pereira, R. C.; Chugunov, I. N.; Fernandes, A.; Gin, D. B.; Grosso, G.; Kiptily, V. G.; Neto, A.; Shevelev, A. E.; Silva, M.; Sousa, J.; Gorini, G.

    2013-04-01

    High resolution γ-ray spectroscopy measurements at MHz counting rates were carried out at nuclear accelerators, combining a LaBr 3(Ce) detector with dedicated hardware and software solutions based on digitization and off-line analysis. Spectra were measured at counting rates up to 4 MHz, with little or no degradation of the energy resolution, adopting a pile up rejection algorithm. The reported results represent a step forward towards the final goal of high resolution γ-ray spectroscopy measurements on a burning plasma device.

  14. Development and flight testing of UV optimized Photon Counting CCDs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamden, Erika T.

    2018-06-01

    I will discuss the latest results from the Hamden UV/Vis Detector Lab and our ongoing work using a UV optimized EMCCD in flight. Our lab is currently testing efficiency and performance of delta-doped, anti-reflection coated EMCCDs, in collaboration with JPL. The lab has been set-up to test quantum efficiency, dark current, clock-induced-charge, and read noise. I will describe our improvements to our circuit boards for lower noise, updates from a new, more flexible NUVU controller, and the integration of an EMCCD in the FIREBall-2 UV spectrograph. I will also briefly describe future plans to conduct radiation testing on delta-doped EMCCDs (both warm, unbiased and cold, biased configurations) thus summer and longer term plans for testing newer photon counting CCDs as I move the HUVD Lab to the University of Arizona in the Fall of 2018.

  15. Development of superconducting tunnel junction as photon counting detector in astronomy; Developpement de jonctions supraconductrices a effet tunnel pour le comptage de photons en astronomie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jorel, C

    2004-12-15

    This work describes the development of S/Al-AlOx-Al/S Superconducting Tunnel Junctions (STJ) to count photons for astronomical applications in the near-infrared. The incoming light energy is converted into excited charges in a superconducting layer (S, either Nb or Ta) with a population proportional to the deposited energy. The photon energy can thus be evaluated by integrating the tunnel current induced in a voltage biased junction at a very low temperature (100 mK). The performance of STJ for light detection is discussed in the first chapter and compared with the best performances obtained with other techniques based on either superconductors. At the beginning of the thesis, a previous manufacturing process made it possible to obtain good quality Nb based junctions and preliminary results for photon counting. The objective of the thesis was to replace Nb as absorber with Ta, an intrinsically more sensitive material, and secondly to develop a new and more efficient manufacturing process. We first focused on the optimization of the Tantalum thin film quality. Structural analysis showed that these films can be grown epitaxially by magnetron sputtering onto an R-plane sapphire substrate heated to 600 Celsius degrees and covered by a thin Nb buffer layer. Electrical transport measurement from room to low temperatures gave excellent Relative Resistive Ratios of about 50 corresponding to mean free path of the order of 100 nm. Then, we conceived an original manufacturing process batch on 3 inch diameter sapphire substrate with five mask levels. These masks made it possible to produce single pixel STJ of different sizes (from 25*25 to 50*50 square microns) and shapes. We also produced multiple junctions onto a common absorber as well as 9-pixel arrays. Thanks to the development of this process we obtained a very large percentage of quality junctions (>90%) with excellent measured normal resistances of a few micro-ohm cm{sup 2} and low leakage currents of the order of one

  16. Picosecond wide-field time-correlated single photon counting fluorescence microscopy with a delay line anode detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirvonen, Liisa M.; Le Marois, Alix; Suhling, Klaus, E-mail: klaus.suhling@kcl.ac.uk [Department of Physics, King' s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Becker, Wolfgang; Smietana, Stefan [Becker & Hickl GmbH, Nahmitzer Damm 30, 12277 Berlin (Germany); Milnes, James; Conneely, Thomas [Photek Ltd., 26 Castleham Rd, Saint Leonards-on-Sea TN38 9NS (United Kingdom); Jagutzki, Ottmar [Institut für Kernphysik, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, 60438 Frankfurt (Germany)

    2016-08-15

    We perform wide-field time-correlated single photon counting-based fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) with a crossed delay line anode image intensifier, where the pulse propagation time yields the photon position. This microchannel plate-based detector was read out with conventional fast timing electronics and mounted on a fluorescence microscope with total internal reflection (TIR) illumination. The picosecond time resolution of this detection system combines low illumination intensity of microwatts with wide-field data collection. This is ideal for fluorescence lifetime imaging of cell membranes using TIR. We show that fluorescence lifetime images of living HeLa cells stained with membrane dye di-4-ANEPPDHQ exhibit a reduced lifetime near the coverslip in TIR compared to epifluorescence FLIM.

  17. Size determinations of plutonium colloids using autocorrelation photon spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Triay, I.R.; Rundberg, R.S.; Mitchell, A.J.; Ott, M.A.; Hobart, D.E.; Palmer, P.D.; Newton, T.W.; Thompson, J.L.

    1989-01-01

    Autocorrelation Photon Spectroscopy (APS) is a light-scattering technique utilized to determine the size distribution of colloidal suspensions. The capabilities of the APS methodology have been assessed by analyzing colloids of known sizes. Plutonium(IV) colloid samples were prepared by a variety of methods including: dilution; peptization; and alpha-induced auto-oxidation of Pu(III). The size of theses Pu colloids was analyzed using APS. The sizes determined for the Pu colloids studied varied from 1 to 370 nanometers. 7 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs

  18. Performance of the latest MPPCs with reduced dark counts and improved photon detection efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsujikawa, T.; Funamoto, H.; Kataoka, J.; Fujita, T.; Nishiyama, T.; Kurei, Y.; Sato, K.; Yamamura, K.; Nakamura, S.

    2014-01-01

    We have tested the performance of two types of the latest Multi-Pixel Photon Counters (MPPCs; measuring 3×3 mm 2 in size) developed by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. The new S12572-050C is a successor to the S10362-33-050C (i.e., conventional 3×3-mm 2 pixel MPPC of 50 μm pitch), comprises 3600 Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes (APDs), and also features high gain (up to 1.25×10 6 ), a low dark count (up to 10 6 cps), and improved photon detection efficiency (PDE) by up to 30%. The S12572-015C is a new type of fine-pitch (15 μm) MPPC featuring a wide dynamic range and fast timing response. This paper first presents the detailed performance of these latest MPPCs as photon counting devices. It then describes our fabrication of a prototype detector consisting of a MPPC optically coupled with a Ce:GAGG scintillator. We obtained average FWHM energy resolutions of 7.3% (15 μm) and 6.7% (new-50 μm), as compared to 6.9% (old-50 μm) for 662-keV gamma rays from the 137 Cs source, as measured at 20 °C. Moreover, the number of fired pixels for 662-keV gamma rays increased by 30% for the new-50 μm (as compared to the old-50 μm). We confirmed that the low energy threshold improved from 10 keV to 4 keV, when using the latest MPPC device (new-50 μm). We also confirmed that the timing resolution of the new MPPC is 50 ps or even better, as compared to 89 ps of the old MPPC. The results thus confirm that these new types of MPPCs are promising for various applications as scintillation detectors. - Highlights: • We tested the performance of the latest MPPC. • We confirmed that the new MPPC is superior to the old MPPC. • We plan to apply the new MPPC for a next-generation PET and a handy Compton camera

  19. Performance of the latest MPPCs with reduced dark counts and improved photon detection efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsujikawa, T., E-mail: takayuki-t.w@asagi.waseda.jp [Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1, Ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo (Japan); Funamoto, H.; Kataoka, J.; Fujita, T.; Nishiyama, T.; Kurei, Y. [Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1, Ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo (Japan); Sato, K.; Yamamura, K.; Nakamura, S. [Solid State Division, Hamamatsu Photonics K. K., 1126-1, Ichino-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka (Japan)

    2014-11-21

    We have tested the performance of two types of the latest Multi-Pixel Photon Counters (MPPCs; measuring 3×3 mm{sup 2} in size) developed by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. The new S12572-050C is a successor to the S10362-33-050C (i.e., conventional 3×3-mm{sup 2} pixel MPPC of 50 μm pitch), comprises 3600 Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes (APDs), and also features high gain (up to 1.25×10{sup 6}), a low dark count (up to 10{sup 6} cps), and improved photon detection efficiency (PDE) by up to 30%. The S12572-015C is a new type of fine-pitch (15 μm) MPPC featuring a wide dynamic range and fast timing response. This paper first presents the detailed performance of these latest MPPCs as photon counting devices. It then describes our fabrication of a prototype detector consisting of a MPPC optically coupled with a Ce:GAGG scintillator. We obtained average FWHM energy resolutions of 7.3% (15 μm) and 6.7% (new-50 μm), as compared to 6.9% (old-50 μm) for 662-keV gamma rays from the {sup 137}Cs source, as measured at 20 °C. Moreover, the number of fired pixels for 662-keV gamma rays increased by 30% for the new-50 μm (as compared to the old-50 μm). We confirmed that the low energy threshold improved from 10 keV to 4 keV, when using the latest MPPC device (new-50 μm). We also confirmed that the timing resolution of the new MPPC is 50 ps or even better, as compared to 89 ps of the old MPPC. The results thus confirm that these new types of MPPCs are promising for various applications as scintillation detectors. - Highlights: • We tested the performance of the latest MPPC. • We confirmed that the new MPPC is superior to the old MPPC. • We plan to apply the new MPPC for a next-generation PET and a handy Compton camera.

  20. A Burst-Mode Photon-Counting Receiver with Automatic Channel Estimation and Bit Rate Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-24

    Grein, M.E., Elgin, L.E., Robinson, B.S., Kachelmyer, A.L., Caplan , D.O., Stevens, M.L., Carney, J.J., Hamilton, S.A., and Boroson, D.M., “Demonstration...Robinson, B.S., Kerman, A.J., Dauler, E.A., Barron, R.J., Caplan , D.O., Stevens, M.L., Carney, J.J., Hamilton, S.A., Yang, J.K.W., and Berggren, K.K., “781...Mbit/s photon-counting optical communications using a superconducting nanowire detector,” Optics Letters, v. 31 no. 4 444-446 (2006). [14] Caplan

  1. A High-Speed, Event-Driven, Active Pixel Sensor Readout for Photon-Counting Microchannel Plate Detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimble, Randy A.; Pain, Bedabrata; Norton, Timothy J.; Haas, J. Patrick; Oegerle, William R. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Silicon array readouts for microchannel plate intensifiers offer several attractive features. In this class of detector, the electron cloud output of the MCP intensifier is converted to visible light by a phosphor; that light is then fiber-optically coupled to the silicon array. In photon-counting mode, the resulting light splashes on the silicon array are recognized and centroided to fractional pixel accuracy by off-chip electronics. This process can result in very high (MCP-limited) spatial resolution while operating at a modest MCP gain (desirable for dynamic range and long term stability). The principal limitation of intensified CCD systems of this type is their severely limited local dynamic range, as accurate photon counting is achieved only if there are not overlapping event splashes within the frame time of the device. This problem can be ameliorated somewhat by processing events only in pre-selected windows of interest of by using an addressable charge injection device (CID) for the readout array. We are currently pursuing the development of an intriguing alternative readout concept based on using an event-driven CMOS Active Pixel Sensor. APS technology permits the incorporation of discriminator circuitry within each pixel. When coupled with suitable CMOS logic outside the array area, the discriminator circuitry can be used to trigger the readout of small sub-array windows only when and where an event splash has been detected, completely eliminating the local dynamic range problem, while achieving a high global count rate capability and maintaining high spatial resolution. We elaborate on this concept and present our progress toward implementing an event-driven APS readout.

  2. Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger-type and W-type entangled coherent states: Generation and Bell-type inequality tests without photon counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Hyunseok; Nguyen Ba An

    2006-01-01

    We study Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger-type (GHZ-type) and W-type three-mode entangled coherent states. Both types of entangled coherent states violate Mermin's version of the Bell inequality with threshold photon detection (i.e., without photon counting). Such an experiment can be performed using linear optics elements and threshold detectors with significant Bell violations for GHZ-type entangled coherent states. However, to demonstrate Bell-type inequality violations for W-type entangled coherent states, additional nonlinear interactions are needed. We also propose an optical scheme to generate W-type entangled coherent states in free-traveling optical fields. The required resources for the generation are a single-photon source, a coherent state source, beam splitters, phase shifters, photodetectors, and Kerr nonlinearities. Our scheme does not necessarily require strong Kerr nonlinear interactions; i.e., weak nonlinearities can be used for the generation of the W-type entangled coherent states. Furthermore, it is also robust against inefficiencies of the single-photon source and the photon detectors

  3. A burst-mode photon counting receiver with automatic channel estimation and bit rate detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Hemonth G.; DeVoe, Catherine E.; Fletcher, Andrew S.; Gaschits, Igor D.; Hakimi, Farhad; Hamilton, Scott A.; Hardy, Nicholas D.; Ingwersen, John G.; Kaminsky, Richard D.; Moores, John D.; Scheinbart, Marvin S.; Yarnall, Timothy M.

    2016-04-01

    We demonstrate a multi-rate burst-mode photon-counting receiver for undersea communication at data rates up to 10.416 Mb/s over a 30-foot water channel. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of burst-mode photon-counting communication. With added attenuation, the maximum link loss is 97.1 dB at λ=517 nm. In clear ocean water, this equates to link distances up to 148 meters. For λ=470 nm, the achievable link distance in clear ocean water is 450 meters. The receiver incorporates soft-decision forward error correction (FEC) based on a product code of an inner LDPC code and an outer BCH code. The FEC supports multiple code rates to achieve error-free performance. We have selected a burst-mode receiver architecture to provide robust performance with respect to unpredictable channel obstructions. The receiver is capable of on-the-fly data rate detection and adapts to changing levels of signal and background light. The receiver updates its phase alignment and channel estimates every 1.6 ms, allowing for rapid changes in water quality as well as motion between transmitter and receiver. We demonstrate on-the-fly rate detection, channel BER within 0.2 dB of theory across all data rates, and error-free performance within 1.82 dB of soft-decision capacity across all tested code rates. All signal processing is done in FPGAs and runs continuously in real time.

  4. Lamb-Dicke spectroscopy of atoms in a hollow-core photonic crystal fibre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okaba, Shoichi; Takano, Tetsushi; Benabid, Fetah; Bradley, Tom; Vincetti, Luca; Maizelis, Zakhar; Yampol'skii, Valery; Nori, Franco; Katori, Hidetoshi

    2014-01-01

    Unlike photons, which are conveniently handled by mirrors and optical fibres without loss of coherence, atoms lose their coherence via atom–atom and atom–wall interactions. This decoherence of atoms deteriorates the performance of atomic clocks and magnetometers, and also hinders their miniaturization. Here we report a novel platform for precision spectroscopy. Ultracold strontium atoms inside a kagome-lattice hollow-core photonic crystal fibre are transversely confined by an optical lattice to prevent atoms from interacting with the fibre wall. By confining at most one atom in each lattice site, to avoid atom–atom interactions and Doppler effect, a 7.8-kHz-wide spectrum is observed for the 1S0−3P1(m=0) transition. Atoms singly trapped in a magic lattice in hollow-core photonic crystal fibres improve the optical depth while preserving atomic coherence time. PMID:24934478

  5. Local optical spectroscopy of opaline photonic crystal films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakhia, T.; Baranchikov, A. E.; Gorelik, V. S.; Klimonsky, S. O.

    2017-09-01

    The homogeneity of opaline films obtained by vertical deposition of colloidal SiO2 microparticles has been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and local optical spectroscopy. It was found that the particle size distribution is narrowed during the deposition, the microstructure of the films improves, and the reflection peak in the first photonic stop band increases and narrows. These changes may be due to the fact that large microparticles, whose mass significantly exceeds the average mass, leave the solution in the course of time, falling on the bottom of the vessel under gravity. It is established that the microstructure of opaline films is improved with a decrease in thickness.

  6. Characteristic performance evaluation of a photon counting Si strip detector for low dose spectral breast CT imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Hyo-Min; Barber, William C.; Ding, Huanjun; Iwanczyk, Jan S.; Molloi, Sabee

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: The possible clinical applications which can be performed using a newly developed detector depend on the detector's characteristic performance in a number of metrics including the dynamic range, resolution, uniformity, and stability. The authors have evaluated a prototype energy resolved fast photon counting x-ray detector based on a silicon (Si) strip sensor used in an edge-on geometry with an application specific integrated circuit to record the number of x-rays and their energies at high flux and fast frame rates. The investigated detector was integrated with a dedicated breast spectral computed tomography (CT) system to make use of the detector's high spatial and energy resolution and low noise performance under conditions suitable for clinical breast imaging. The aim of this article is to investigate the intrinsic characteristics of the detector, in terms of maximum output count rate, spatial and energy resolution, and noise performance of the imaging system. Methods: The maximum output count rate was obtained with a 50 W x-ray tube with a maximum continuous output of 50 kVp at 1.0 mA. A109Cd source, with a characteristic x-ray peak at 22 keV from Ag, was used to measure the energy resolution of the detector. The axial plane modulation transfer function (MTF) was measured using a 67 μm diameter tungsten wire. The two-dimensional (2D) noise power spectrum (NPS) was measured using flat field images and noise equivalent quanta (NEQ) were calculated using the MTF and NPS results. The image quality parameters were studied as a function of various radiation doses and reconstruction filters. The one-dimensional (1D) NPS was used to investigate the effect of electronic noise elimination by varying the minimum energy threshold. Results: A maximum output count rate of 100 million counts per second per square millimeter (cps/mm2) has been obtained (1 million cps per 100 × 100 μm pixel). The electrical noise floor was less than 4 keV. The energy resolution

  7. Photon-photon collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burke, D.L.

    1982-10-01

    Studies of photon-photon collisions are reviewed with particular emphasis on new results reported to this conference. These include results on light meson spectroscopy and deep inelastic e#betta# scattering. Considerable work has now been accumulated on resonance production by #betta##betta# collisions. Preliminary high statistics studies of the photon structure function F 2 /sup #betta#/(x,Q 2 ) are given and comments are made on the problems that remain to be solved

  8. Photon-photon collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haissinski, J.

    1986-06-01

    The discussions presented in this paper deal with the following points: distinctive features of gamma-gamma collisions; related processes; photon-photon elastic scattering in the continuum and γγ →gg; total cross section; γγ → V 1 V 2 (V=vector meson); radiative width measurements and light meson spectroscopy; exclusive channels at large /t/; jets and inclusive particle distribution in γγ collisions; and, the photon structure function F γ 2

  9. Evaluation of a photon counting Medipix3RX CZT spectral x-ray detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jorgensen, Steven M.; Vercnocke, Andrew J.; Rundle, David S.; Butler, Philip H.; McCollough, Cynthia H.; Ritman, Erik L.

    2016-10-01

    We assessed the performance of a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-based Medipix3RX x-ray detector as a candidate for micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging. This technology was developed at CERN for the Large Hadron Collider. It features an array of 128 by 128, 110 micrometer square pixels, each with eight simultaneous threshold counters, five of which utilize real-time charge summing, significantly reducing the charge sharing between contiguous pixels. Pixel response curves were created by imaging a range of x-ray intensities by varying x-ray tube current and by varying the exposure time with fixed x-ray current. Photon energy-related assessments were made by flooding the detector with the tin foil filtered emission of an I-125 radioisotope brachytherapy seed and sweeping the energy threshold of each of the four charge-summed counters of each pixel in 1 keV steps. Long term stability assessments were made by repeating exposures over the course of one hour. The high properly-functioning pixel yield (99%), long term stability (linear regression of whole-chip response over one hour of acquisitions: y = -0.0038x + 2284; standard deviation: 3.7 counts) and energy resolution (2.5 keV FWHM (single pixel), 3.7 keV FWHM across the full image) make this device suitable for spectral micro-CT. The charge summing performance effectively reduced the measurement corruption caused by charge sharing which, when unaccounted for, shifts the photon energy assignment to lower energies, degrading both count and energy accuracy. Effective charge summing greatly improves the potential for calibrated, energy-specific material decomposition and K edge difference imaging approaches.

  10. Performance of in-pixel circuits for photon counting arrays (PCAs) based on polycrystalline silicon TFTs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Albert K; Koniczek, Martin; Antonuk, Larry E; El-Mohri, Youcef; Zhao, Qihua; Street, Robert A; Lu, Jeng Ping

    2016-01-01

    Photon counting arrays (PCAs), defined as pixelated imagers which measure the absorbed energy of x-ray photons individually and record this information digitally, are of increasing clinical interest. A number of PCA prototypes with a 1 mm pixel-to-pixel pitch have recently been fabricated with polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si)—a thin-film technology capable of creating monolithic imagers of a size commensurate with human anatomy. In this study, analog and digital simulation frameworks were developed to provide insight into the influence of individual poly-Si transistors on pixel circuit performance—information that is not readily available through empirical means. The simulation frameworks were used to characterize the circuit designs employed in the prototypes. The analog framework, which determines the noise produced by individual transistors, was used to estimate energy resolution, as well as to identify which transistors contribute the most noise. The digital framework, which analyzes how well circuits function in the presence of significant variations in transistor properties, was used to estimate how fast a circuit can produce an output (referred to as output count rate). In addition, an algorithm was developed and used to estimate the minimum pixel pitch that could be achieved for the pixel circuits of the current prototypes. The simulation frameworks predict that the analog component of the PCA prototypes could have energy resolution as low as 8.9% full width at half maximum (FWHM) at 70 keV; and the digital components should work well even in the presence of significant thin-film transistor (TFT) variations, with the fastest component having output count rates as high as 3 MHz. Finally, based on conceivable improvements in the underlying fabrication process, the algorithm predicts that the 1 mm pitch of the current PCA prototypes could be reduced significantly, potentially to between ∼240 and 290 μm. (paper)

  11. CLARO: an ASIC for high rate single photon counting with multi-anode photomultipliers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baszczyk, M.; Carniti, P.; Cassina, L.; Cotta Ramusino, A.; Dorosz, P.; Fiorini, M.; Gotti, C.; Kucewicz, W.; Malaguti, R.; Pessina, G.

    2017-08-01

    The CLARO is a radiation-hard 8-channel ASIC designed for single photon counting with multi-anode photomultiplier tubes. Each channel outputs a digital pulse when the input signal from the photomultiplier crosses a configurable threshold. The fast return to baseline, typically within 25 ns, and below 50 ns in all conditions, allows to count up to 107 hits/s on each channel, with a power consumption of about 1 mW per channel. The ASIC presented here is a much improved version of the first 4-channel prototype. The threshold can be precisely set in a wide range, between 30 ke- (5 fC) and 16 Me- (2.6 pC). The noise of the amplifier with a 10 pF input capacitance is 3.5 ke- (0.6 fC) RMS. All settings are stored in a 128-bit configuration and status register, protected against soft errors with triple modular redundancy. The paper describes the design of the ASIC at transistor-level, and demonstrates its performance on the test bench.

  12. Photon counting and energy discriminating X-ray detectors. Benefits and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walter, David; Zscherpel, Uwe; Ewert, Uwe

    2016-01-01

    Since a few years the direct detection of X-ray photons into electrical signals is possible by usage of highly absorbing photo conducting materials (e.g. CdTe) as detection layer of an underlying CMOS semiconductor X-ray detector. Even NDT energies up to 400 keV are possible today, as well. The image sharpness and absorption efficiency is improved by the replacement of the unsharp scintillation layer (as used at indirect detecting detectors) by a photo conducting layer of much higher thickness. If the read-out speed is high enough (ca. 50 - 100 ns dead time) single X-ray photons can be counted and their energy measured. Read-out noise and dark image correction can be avoided. By setting energy thresholds selected energy ranges of the X-ray spectrum can be detected or suppressed. This allows material discrimination by dual-energy techniques or the reduction of image contributions of scattered radiation, which results in an enhanced contrast sensitivity. To use these advantages in an effective way, a special calibration procedure has to be developed, which considers also time dependent processes in the detection layer. This contribution presents some of these new properties of direct detecting digital detector arrays (DDAs) and shows first results on testing fiber reinforced composites as well as first approaches to dual energy imaging.

  13. Performance and capacity analysis of Poisson photon-counting based Iter-PIC OCDMA systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lingbin; Zhou, Xiaolin; Zhang, Rong; Zhang, Dingchen; Hanzo, Lajos

    2013-11-04

    In this paper, an iterative parallel interference cancellation (Iter-PIC) technique is developed for optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) systems relying on shot-noise limited Poisson photon-counting reception. The novel semi-analytical tool of extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts is used for analysing both the bit error rate (BER) performance as well as the channel capacity of these systems and the results are verified by Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed Iter-PIC OCDMA system is capable of achieving two orders of magnitude BER improvements and a 0.1 nats of capacity improvement over the conventional chip-level OCDMA systems at a coding rate of 1/10.

  14. Two-photon excitation spectroscopy of carotenoid-containing and carotenoid-depleted LH2 complexes from purple bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stepanenko, Ilya; Kompanetz, Viktor; Makhneva, Zoya; Chekalin, Sergey; Moskalenko, Andrei; Razjivin, Andrei

    2009-08-27

    We applied two-photon fluorescence excitation spectroscopy to LH2 complex from purple bacteria Allochromatium minutissimum and Rhodobacter sphaeroides . Bacteriochlorophyll fluorescence was measured under two-photon excitation of the samples within the 1200-1500 nm region. Spectra were obtained for both carotenoid-containing and -depleted complexes of each bacterium to allow their direct comparison. The depletion of carotenoids did not alter the two-photon excitation spectra of either bacteria. The spectra featured a wide excitation band around 1350 nm (2x675 nm, 14,800 cm(-1)) which strongly resembled two-photon fluorescence excitation spectra of similar complexes published by other authors. We consider obtained experimental data to be evidence of direct two-photon excitation of bacteriochlorophyll excitonic states in this spectral region.

  15. Split and delay photon correlation spectroscopy with a visible light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasch, Marten

    2016-04-01

    The development and performance of a setup constructed with the aim for the split pulse photon correlation spectroscopy is presented in this thesis. The double pulse time structure is accomplished with help of an Acusto-Optic Modulator (AOM) crystal, which mimics the splitting and delaying of photon pulses. The setup provides double pulses and allows to control the pulse width and delay and to synchronize them into one camera exposure window. The performance of the setup was successfully verified in a proof of principle experiment with a model system of polystyrene particles following Brownian motion. The measured radius of particles obtained with from the split pulse experiment (R h =(2.567±0.097) μm) is in agreement with the particle size provided by the manufacturer (R=(2.26±0.08) μm). The achieved results show higher statistics compared to a standard Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) measurement.

  16. TU-EF-207-02: Spectral Mammography Based on Photon Counting Detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Molloi, S. [University of California (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Breast imaging technology is advancing on several fronts. In digital mammography, the major technological trend has been on optimization of approaches for performing combined mammography and tomosynthesis using the same system. In parallel, photon-counting slot-scan mammography is now in clinical use and more efforts are directed towards further development of this approach for spectral imaging. Spectral imaging refers to simultaneous acquisition of two or more energy-windowed images. Depending on the detector and associated electronics, there are a number of ways this can be accomplished. Spectral mammography using photon-counting detectors can suppress electronic noise and importantly, it enables decomposition of the image into various material compositions of interest facilitating quantitative imaging. Spectral imaging can be particularly important in intravenously injected contrast mammography and eventually tomosynthesis. The various approaches and applications of spectral mammography are discussed. Digital breast tomosynthesis relies on the mechanical movement of the x-ray tube to acquire a number of projections in a predefined arc, typically from 9 to 25 projections over a scan angle of +/−7.5 to 25 degrees depending on the particular system. The mechanical x-ray tube motion requires relatively long acquisition time, typically between 3.7 to 25 seconds depending on the system. Moreover, mechanical scanning may have an effect on the spatial resolution due to internal x-ray filament or external mechanical vibrations. New x-ray source arrays have been developed and they are aimed at replacing the scanned x-ray tube for improved acquisition time and potentially for higher spatial resolution. The potential advantages and challenges of this approach are described. Combination of digital mammography and tomosynthesis in a single system places increased demands on certain functional aspects of the detector and overall performance, particularly in the tomosynthesis

  17. TU-EF-207-02: Spectral Mammography Based on Photon Counting Detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molloi, S.

    2015-01-01

    Breast imaging technology is advancing on several fronts. In digital mammography, the major technological trend has been on optimization of approaches for performing combined mammography and tomosynthesis using the same system. In parallel, photon-counting slot-scan mammography is now in clinical use and more efforts are directed towards further development of this approach for spectral imaging. Spectral imaging refers to simultaneous acquisition of two or more energy-windowed images. Depending on the detector and associated electronics, there are a number of ways this can be accomplished. Spectral mammography using photon-counting detectors can suppress electronic noise and importantly, it enables decomposition of the image into various material compositions of interest facilitating quantitative imaging. Spectral imaging can be particularly important in intravenously injected contrast mammography and eventually tomosynthesis. The various approaches and applications of spectral mammography are discussed. Digital breast tomosynthesis relies on the mechanical movement of the x-ray tube to acquire a number of projections in a predefined arc, typically from 9 to 25 projections over a scan angle of +/−7.5 to 25 degrees depending on the particular system. The mechanical x-ray tube motion requires relatively long acquisition time, typically between 3.7 to 25 seconds depending on the system. Moreover, mechanical scanning may have an effect on the spatial resolution due to internal x-ray filament or external mechanical vibrations. New x-ray source arrays have been developed and they are aimed at replacing the scanned x-ray tube for improved acquisition time and potentially for higher spatial resolution. The potential advantages and challenges of this approach are described. Combination of digital mammography and tomosynthesis in a single system places increased demands on certain functional aspects of the detector and overall performance, particularly in the tomosynthesis

  18. Theoretical analysis of the effect of charge-sharing on the Detective Quantum Efficiency of single-photon counting segmented silicon detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marchal, J [Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE (United Kingdom)], E-mail: julien.marchal@diamond.ac.uk

    2010-01-15

    A detector cascaded model is proposed to describe charge-sharing effect in single-photon counting segmented silicon detectors. Linear system theory is applied to this cascaded model in order to derive detector performance parameters such as large-area gain, presampling Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) and Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) as a function of energy detection threshold. This theory is used to model one-dimensional detectors (i.e. strip detectors) where X-ray-generated charge can be shared between two sampling elements, but the concepts developed in this article can be generalized to two-dimensional arrays of detecting elements (i.e. pixels detectors). The zero-frequency DQE derived from this model is consistent with expressions reported in the literature using a different method. The ability of this model to simulate the effect of charge sharing on image quality in the spatial frequency domain is demonstrated by applying it to a hypothetical one-dimensional single-photon counting detector illuminated with a typical mammography spectrum.

  19. Diagnosis of non-exudative (DRY) age related macular degeneration by non-invasive photon-correlation spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fankhauser, Franz Ii; Ott, Maria; Munteanu, Mihnea

    2016-01-01

    Photon-correlation spectroscopy (PCS) (quasi-elastic light scattering spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering spectroscopy) allows the non-invasively reveal of local dynamics and local heterogeneities of macromolecular systems. The capability of this technique to diagnose the retinal pathologies by in-vivo investigations of spatial anomalies of retinas displaying non-exudative senile macular degeneration was evaluated. Further, the potential use of the technique for the diagnosis of the macular degeneration was analyzed and displayed by the Receiver Operating Curve (ROC). The maculae and the peripheral retina of 73 normal eyes and of 26 eyes afflicted by an early stage of non-exudative senile macular degeneration were characterized by time-correlation functions and analyzed in terms of characteristic decay times and apparent size distributions. The characteristics of the obtained time-correlation functions of the eyes afflicted with nonexudative macular degeneration and of normal eyes differed significantly, which could be referred to a significant change of the nano- and microstructure of the investigated pathologic maculas. Photon-correlation spectroscopy is able to assess the macromolecular and microstructural aberrations in the macula afflicted by non-exudative, senile macular degeneration. It has been demonstrated that macromolecules of this disease show a characteristic abnormal behavior in the macula.

  20. Macintosh/LabVIEW based control and data acquisition system for a single photon counting fluorometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stryjewski, Wieslaw J.

    1991-08-01

    A flexible software system has been developed for controlling fluorescence decay measurements using the virtual instrument approach offered by LabVIEW. The time-correlated single photon counting instrument operates under computer control in both manual and automatic mode. Implementation time was short and the equipment is now easier to use, reducing the training time required for new investigators. It is not difficult to customize the front panel or adapt the program to a different instrument. We found LabVIEW much more convenient to use for this application than traditional, textual computer languages.

  1. Development of low-dose photon-counting contrast-enhanced tomosynthesis with spectral imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitzberger, Florian F; Fallenberg, Eva Maria; Lawaczeck, Rüdiger; Hemmendorff, Magnus; Moa, Elin; Danielsson, Mats; Bick, Ulrich; Diekmann, Susanne; Pöllinger, Alexander; Engelken, Florian J; Diekmann, Felix

    2011-05-01

    To demonstrate the feasibility of low-dose photon-counting tomosynthesis in combination with a contrast agent (contrast material-enhanced tomographic mammography) for the differentiation of breast cancer. All studies were approved by the institutional review board, and all patients provided written informed consent. A phantom model with wells of iodinated contrast material (3 mg of iodine per milliliter) 1, 2, 5, 10, and 15 mm in diameter was assessed. Nine patients with malignant lesions and one with a high-risk lesion (atypical papilloma) were included (all women; mean age, 60.7 years). A multislit photon-counting tomosynthesis system was utilized (spectral imaging) to produce both low- and high-energy tomographic data (below and above the k edge of iodine, respectively) in a single scan, which allowed for dual-energy visualization of iodine. Images were obtained prior to contrast material administration and 120 and 480 seconds after contrast material administration. Four readers independently assessed the images along with conventional mammograms, ultrasonographic images, and magnetic resonance images. Glandular dose was estimated. Contrast agent was visible in the phantom model with simulated spherical tumor diameters as small as 5 mm. The average glandular dose was measured as 0.42 mGy per complete spectral imaging tomosynthesis scan of one breast. Because there were three time points (prior to contrast medium administration and 120 and 480 seconds after contrast medium administration), this resulted in a total dose of 1.26 mGy for the whole procedure in the breast with the abnormality. Seven of 10 cases were categorized as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System score of 4 or higher by all four readers when reviewing spectral images in combination with mammograms. One lesion near the chest wall was not captured on the spectral image because of a positioning problem. The use of contrast-enhanced tomographic mammography has been demonstrated successfully in

  2. Development of a Schottky CdTe Medipix3RX hybrid photon counting detector with spatial and energy resolving capabilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gimenez, E.N., E-mail: Eva.Gimenez@diamond.ac.uk [Diamond Light Source, Harwell Campus, Oxforshire OX11 0DE (United Kingdom); Astromskas, V. [University of Surrey (United Kingdom); Horswell, I.; Omar, D.; Spiers, J.; Tartoni, N. [Diamond Light Source, Harwell Campus, Oxforshire OX11 0DE (United Kingdom)

    2016-07-11

    A multichip CdTe-Medipix3RX detector system was developed in order to bring the advantages of photon-counting detectors to applications in the hard X-ray range of energies. The detector head consisted of 2×2 Medipix3RX ASICs bump-bonded to a 28 mm×28 mm e{sup −} collection Schottky contact CdTe sensor. Schottky CdTe sensors undergo performance degrading polarization which increases with temperature, flux and the longer the HV is applied. Keeping the temperature stable and periodically refreshing the high voltage bias supply was used to minimize the polarization and achieve a stable and reproducible detector response. This leads to good quality images and successful results on the energy resolving capabilities of the system. - Highlights: • A high atomic number (CdTe sensor based) photon-counting detector was developed. • Polarization effects affected the image were minimized by regularly refreshing the bias voltage and stabilizing the temperature. • Good spatial resolution and image quality was achieved following this procedure.

  3. Photon-counting-based diffraction phase microscopy combined with single-pixel imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shibuya, Kyuki; Araki, Hiroyuki; Iwata, Tetsuo

    2018-04-01

    We propose a photon-counting (PC)-based quantitative-phase imaging (QPI) method for use in diffraction phase microscopy (DPM) that is combined with a single-pixel imaging (SPI) scheme (PC-SPI-DPM). This combination of DPM with the SPI scheme overcomes a low optical throughput problem that has occasionally prevented us from obtaining quantitative-phase images in DPM through use of a high-sensitivity single-channel photodetector such as a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The introduction of a PMT allowed us to perform PC with ease and thus solved a dynamic range problem that was inherent to SPI. As a proof-of-principle experiment, we performed a comparison study of analogue-based SPI-DPM and PC-SPI-DPM for a 125-nm-thick indium tin oxide (ITO) layer coated on a silica glass substrate. We discuss the basic performance of the method and potential future modifications of the proposed system.

  4. Spectral and spatial resolution properties of photon counting X-ray detectors like the Medipix-Detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korn, A.

    2007-01-01

    The Medipix detector is a hybrid photon counting X-ray detector, consisting of an ASIC and a semiconducting layer as the sensor. This makes the Medipix a direct converting detector. A special feature of the Medipix is a signal processing circuit in every single pixel. This circuit amplifies the input signal triggered by a photon and then transforms the pulse into a digital signal. This early stage digitalisation is one of the main advantages of the detector, since no dark currents are integrated into the signal. Furthermore, the energy information of each single photon is partly preserved. The high number of pixels lends the detector a wide dynamic range, starting from single counts up to a rate of 1010 photons per cm2 and second. Apart from the many advantages, there are still some problems with the detector. Some effects lead to a deterioration of the energy resolution as well as the spatial resolution. The main reasons for this are two effects occuring in the detector, charge sharing and backscattering inside the detector. This study investigates the influence of those two effects on both the energy and spatial resolution. The physical causes of these effects are delineated and their impact on the detector output is examined. In contrast to high energy photon detectors, the repulsion of the charge carriers drifting inside the sensor must not be neglected in a detailed model of X-ray detectors with an energy range of 5 keV-200 keV. For the simulation of the Medipix using Monte Carlo simulations, the software ROSI was augmented. The added features allow a detailed simulation of the charge distribution, using the relevant physical effects that alter the distribution width during the drift towards the sensor electrodes as well further influences on the detector output, including electronical noise, threshold noise or the geometry of the detector. The measured energy and spatial resolution of several different models of Medipix is compared to the simulated

  5. Simulation results for PLATO: a prototype hybrid X-ray photon counting detector with a low energy threshold for fusion plasma diagnostics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Habib, A.; Menouni, M.; Pangaud, P.; Morel, C.; Fenzi, C.; Colledani, G.; Moureau, G.; Escarguel, A.

    2017-01-01

    PLATO is a prototype hybrid X-ray photon counting detector that has been designed to meet the specifications for plasma diagnostics for the WEST tokamak platform (Tungsten (W) Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) in southern France, with potential perspectives for ITER. PLATO represents a customized solution that fulfills high sensitivity, low dispersion and high photon counting rate. The PLATO prototype matrix is composed of 16 × 18 pixels with a 70 μm pixel pitch. New techniques have been used in analog sensitive blocks to minimize noise coupling through supply rails and substrate, and to suppress threshold dispersion across the matrix. The PLATO ASIC is designed in CMOS 0.13 μm technology and was submitted for a fabrication run in June 2016. The chip is designed to be bump-bonded to a silicon sensor. This paper presents pixel architecture as well as simulation results while highlighting novel solutions.

  6. Alpha-Photon Coincidence Spectroscopy Along Element 115 Decay Chains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rudolph, D. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Forsberg, U. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Golubev, P. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Sarmiento, L. G. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Yakushev, A. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Andersson, L. -L. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Di Nitto, A. [Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Dullmann, Ch. E. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Gates, J. M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Gregorich, K. E. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Gross, C. J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Herzberg, R. -D. [Univ. of Liverpool, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Hessberger, F. P. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Khuyagbaatar, J. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Kratz, J. V. [Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Rykaczewski, K. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Schadel, M. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai (Japan); Aberg, S. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Ackermann, D. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Block, M. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Brand, H. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Carlsson, B. G. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Cox, D. [Univ. of Liverpool, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Derkx, X. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Eberhardt, K. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Even, J. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Fahlander, C. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Gerl, J. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Jager, E. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Kindler, B. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Krier, J. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Kojouharov, I. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Kurz, N. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Lommel, B. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Mistry, A. [Univ. of Liverpool, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Mokry, C. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Nitsche, H. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Omtvedt, J. P. [Univ. of Oslo, Oslo (Norway); Papadakis, P. [Univ. of Liverpool, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Ragnarsson, I. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Runke, J. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Schaffner, H. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Schausten, B. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Thorle-Pospiech, P. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Torres, T. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Traut, T. [Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Trautmann, N. [Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Turler, A. [Paul Scherrer Institute and Univ. of Bern, Villigen (Switzerland); Ward, A. [Univ. of Liverpool, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Ward, D. E. [Lund Univ., Lund (Sweden); Wiehl, N. [Helmholtz Institute Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Johannes Gutenberg-Univ. Mainz, Mainz (Germany)

    2014-01-01

    Produced in the reaction 48Ca+ 243Am, thirty correlated α-decay chains were observed in an experiment conducted at the GSI Helmholzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany. The decay chains are basically consistent with previous findings and are considered to originate from isotopes of element 115 with mass numbers 287, 288, and 289. A set-up aiming specifically for high-resolution charged particle and photon coincidence spectroscopy was placed behind the gas-filled separator TASCA. For the first time, γ rays as well as X-ray candidates were observed in prompt coincidence with the α-decay chains of element 115.

  7. Selective photon counter for digital x-ray mammography tomosynthesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldan, Amir H.; Karim, Karim S.; Rowlands, J. A.

    2006-03-01

    Photon counting is an emerging detection technique that is promising for mammography tomosynthesis imagers. In photon counting systems, the value of each image pixel is equal to the number of photons that interact with the detector. In this research, we introduce the design and implementation of a low noise, novel selective photon counting pixel for digital mammography tomosynthesis in crystalline silicon CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) 0.18 micron technology. The design comprises of a low noise charge amplifier (CA), two low offset voltage comparators, a decision-making unit (DMU), a mode selector, and a pseudo-random counter. Theoretical calculations and simulation results of linearity, gain, and noise of the photon counting pixel are presented.

  8. Nanosecond fluorescence spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leskovar, B.

    1985-03-01

    This article is a summary of a short course lecture given in conjunction with the 1984 Nuclear Science Symposium. Measuring systems for nanosecond fluorescence spectroscopy using single-photon counting techniques are presented. These involve systems based on relaxation-type spark gap light pulser and synchronously pumped mode-locked dye lasers. Furthermore, typical characteristics and optimization of operating conditions of the critical components responsible for the system time resolution are discussed. A short comparison of the most important deconvolution methods for numerical analysis of experimental data is given particularly with respect to the signal-to-noise ratio of the fluorescence signal. 22 refs., 8 figs

  9. Sub-Doppler spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hansch, T.W.

    1983-01-01

    This chapter examines Doppler-free saturation spectroscopy, tunable cw sources, and Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy. Discusses saturation spectroscopy; continuous wave saturation spectroscopy in the ultraviolet; and two-photon spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen 1S-2S. Focuses on Doppler-free laser spectroscopy of gaseous samples. Explains that in saturation spectroscopy, a monochromatic laser beam ''labels'' a group of atoms within a narrow range of axial velocities through excitation or optical pumping, and a Doppler-free spectrum of these selected atoms is observed with a second, counterpropagating beam. Notes that in two-photon spectroscopy it is possible to record Doppler-free spectra without any need for velocity selection by excitation with two counterpropagating laser beams whose first order Doppler shifts cancel

  10. Precise material identification method based on a photon counting technique with correction of the beam hardening effect in X-ray spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimoto, Natsumi; Hayashi, Hiroaki; Asahara, Takashi; Mihara, Yoshiki; Kanazawa, Yuki; Yamakawa, Tsutomu; Yamamoto, Shuichiro; Yamasaki, Masashi; Okada, Masahiro

    2017-01-01

    The aim of our study is to develop a novel material identification method based on a photon counting technique, in which the incident and penetrating X-ray spectra are analyzed. Dividing a 40 kV X-ray spectra into two energy regions, the corresponding linear attenuation coefficients are derived. We can identify the materials precisely using the relationship between atomic number and linear attenuation coefficient through the correction of the beam hardening effect of the X-ray spectra. - Highlights: • We propose a precise material identification method to be used as a photon counting system. • Beam hardening correction is important, even when the analysis is applied to the short energy regions in the X-ray spectrum. • Experiments using a single probe-type CdTe detector were performed, and Monte Carlo simulation was also carried out. • We described the applicability of our method for clinical diagnostic X-ray imaging in the near future.

  11. Optimisation of centroiding algorithms for photon event counting imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suhling, K.; Airey, R.W.; Morgan, B.L.

    1999-01-01

    Approaches to photon event counting imaging in which the output events of an image intensifier are located using a centroiding technique have long been plagued by fixed pattern noise in which a grid of dimensions similar to those of the CCD pixels is superimposed on the image. This is caused by a mismatch between the photon event shape and the centroiding algorithm. We have used hyperbolic cosine, Gaussian, Lorentzian, parabolic as well as 3-, 5-, and 7-point centre of gravity algorithms, and hybrids thereof, to assess means of minimising this fixed pattern noise. We show that fixed pattern noise generated by the widely used centre of gravity centroiding is due to intrinsic features of the algorithm. Our results confirm that the recently proposed use of Gaussian centroiding does indeed show a significant reduction of fixed pattern noise compared to centre of gravity centroiding (Michel et al., Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 292 (1997) 611-620). However, the disadvantage of a Gaussian algorithm is a centroiding failure for small pulses, caused by a division by zero, which leads to a loss of detective quantum efficiency (DQE) and to small amounts of residual fixed pattern noise. Using both real data from an image intensifier system employing a progressive scan camera, framegrabber and PC, and also synthetic data from Monte-Carlo simulations, we find that hybrid centroiding algorithms can reduce the fixed pattern noise without loss of resolution or loss of DQE. Imaging a test pattern to assess the features of the different algorithms shows that a hybrid of Gaussian and 3-point centre of gravity centroiding algorithms results in an optimum combination of low fixed pattern noise (lower than a simple Gaussian), high DQE, and high resolution. The Lorentzian algorithm gives the worst results in terms of high fixed pattern noise and low resolution, and the Gaussian and hyperbolic cosine algorithms have the lowest DQEs

  12. Structure fits the purpose: photonic crystal fibers for evanescent-field surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Oo, M. K .K.; Han, Y.; Kaňka, Jiří; Sukhishvili, S.; Du, H.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 35, č. 4 (2010), s. 466-468 ISSN 0146-9592 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA102/08/1719 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20670512 Keywords : Photonic crystal fiber * Raman spectroscopy * Fiber-optic evanescent sensor Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 3.316, year: 2010

  13. Resonance ionization spectroscopy: Counting noble gas atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hurst, G.S.; Payne, M.G.; Chen, C.H.; Willis, R.D.; Lehmann, B.E.; Kramer, S.D.

    1981-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe new work on the counting of noble gas atoms, using lasers for the selective ionization and detectors for counting individual particles (electrons or positive ions). When positive ions are counted, various kinds of mass analyzers (magnetic, quadrupole, or time-of-flight) can be incorporated to provide A selectivity. We show that a variety of interesting and important applications can be made with atom-counting techniques which are both atomic number (Z) and mass number (A) selective. (orig./FKS)

  14. Technical Note: Comparison of first- and second-generation photon-counting slit-scanning tomosynthesis systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berggren, Karl; Cederström, Björn; Lundqvist, Mats; Fredenberg, Erik

    2018-02-01

    Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is an emerging tool for breast-cancer screening and diagnostics. The purpose of this study is to present a second-generation photon-counting slit-scanning DBT system and compare it to the first-generation system in terms of geometry and image quality. The study presents the first image-quality measurements on the second-generation system. The geometry of the new system is based on a combined rotational and linear motion, in contrast to a purely rotational scan motion in the first generation. In addition, the calibration routines have been updated. Image quality was measured in the center of the image field in terms of in-slice modulation transfer function (MTF), artifact spread function (ASF), and in-slice detective quantum efficiency (DQE). Images were acquired using a W/Al 29 kVp spectrum at 13 mAs with 2 mm Al additional filtration and reconstructed using simple back-projection. The in-slice 50% MTF was improved in the chest-mammilla direction, going from 3.2 to 3.5 lp/mm, and the zero-frequency DQE increased from 0.71 to 0.77. The MTF and ASF were otherwise found to be on par for the two systems. The new system has reduced in-slice variation of the tomographic angle. The new geometry is less curved, which reduces in-slice tomographic-angle variation, and increases the maximum compression height, making the system accessible for a larger population. The improvements in MTF and DQE were attributed to the updated calibration procedures. We conclude that the second-generation system maintains the key features of the photon-counting system while maintaining or improving image quality and improving the maximum compression height. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  15. Quantum optical signatures in strong-field laser physics: Infrared photon counting in high-order-harmonic generation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonoskov, I A; Tsatrafyllis, N; Kominis, I K; Tzallas, P

    2016-09-07

    We analytically describe the strong-field light-electron interaction using a quantized coherent laser state with arbitrary photon number. We obtain a light-electron wave function which is a closed-form solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE). This wave function provides information about the quantum optical features of the interaction not accessible by semi-classical theories. With this approach we can reveal the quantum optical properties of high harmonic generation (HHG) process in gases by measuring the photon statistics of the transmitted infrared (IR) laser radiation. This work can lead to novel experiments in high-resolution spectroscopy in extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) and attosecond science without the need to measure the XUV light, while it can pave the way for the development of intense non-classical light sources.

  16. Photon cooperative effect in resonance spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veklenko, B.A.

    1998-01-01

    A systematic method is proposed for calculating the density matrix of subsystems interacting with their environment under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium. The density matrix of photons resonantly interacting with a surrounding gas is calculated. It is shown that use of the Gibbs distribution allows one to completely eliminate inelastic processes from the calculations. A correct account of photon-photon correlators indicates the presence of new cooperative effects. A new branch of the polariton spectrum is predicted, which is due to the presence of excited atoms in the medium. With the help of the density matrix the mean filling numbers of the photon modes are calculated. In terms of wavelengths, we have obtained a generalization of the Planck formula which accounts for photon cooperative phenomena. The manifestation of these effects in kinetic processes is discussed

  17. Energy Calibration of a Silicon-Strip Detector for Photon-Counting Spectral CT by Direct Usage of the X-ray Tube Spectrum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xuejin; Chen, Han; Bornefalk, Hans; Danielsson, Mats; Karlsson, Staffan; Persson, Mats; Xu, Cheng; Huber, Ben

    2015-02-01

    The variation among energy thresholds in a multibin detector for photon-counting spectral CT can lead to ring artefacts in the reconstructed images. Calibration of the energy thresholds can be used to achieve homogeneous threshold settings or to develop compensation methods to reduce the artefacts. We have developed an energy-calibration method for the different comparator thresholds employed in a photon-counting silicon-strip detector. In our case, this corresponds to specifying the linear relation between the threshold positions in units of mV and the actual deposited photon energies in units of keV. This relation is determined by gain and offset values that differ for different detector channels due to variations in the manufacturing process. Typically, the calibration is accomplished by correlating the peak positions of obtained pulse-height spectra to known photon energies, e.g. with the aid of mono-energetic x rays from synchrotron radiation, radioactive isotopes or fluorescence materials. Instead of mono-energetic x rays, the calibration method presented in this paper makes use of a broad x-ray spectrum provided by commercial x-ray tubes. Gain and offset as the calibration parameters are obtained by a regression analysis that adjusts a simulated spectrum of deposited energies to a measured pulse-height spectrum. Besides the basic photon interactions such as Rayleigh scattering, Compton scattering and photo-electric absorption, the simulation takes into account the effect of pulse pileup, charge sharing and the electronic noise of the detector channels. We verify the method for different detector channels with the aid of a table-top setup, where we find the uncertainty of the keV-value of a calibrated threshold to be between 0.1 and 0.2 keV.

  18. Systematic implementation of spectral CT with a photon counting detector for liquid security inspection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xiaofei; Xing, Yuxiang; Wang, Sen; Zhang, Li

    2018-06-01

    X-ray liquid security inspection system plays an important role in homeland security, while the conventional dual-energy CT (DECT) system may have a big deviation in extracting the atomic number and the electron density of materials in various conditions. Photon counting detectors (PCDs) have the capability of discriminating the incident photons of different energy. The technique becomes more and more mature in nowadays. In this work, we explore the performance of a multi-energy CT imaging system with a PCD for liquid security inspection in material discrimination. We used a maximum-likelihood (ML) decomposition method with scatter correction based on a cross-energy response model (CERM) for PCDs so that to improve the accuracy of atomic number and electronic density imaging. Experimental study was carried to examine the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed system. Our results show that the concentration of different solutions in physical phantoms can be reconstructed accurately, which could improve the material identification compared to current available dual-energy liquid security inspection systems. The CERM-base decomposition and reconstruction method can be easily used to different applications such as medical diagnosis.

  19. A counting silicon microstrip detector for precision compton polarimetry

    CERN Document Server

    Doll, D W; Hillert, W; Krüger, H; Stammschroer, K; Wermes, N

    2002-01-01

    A detector for the detection of laser photons backscattered off an incident high-energy electron beam for precision Compton polarimetry in the 3.5 GeV electron stretcher ring ELSA at Bonn University has been developed using individual photon counting. The photon counting detector is based on a silicon microstrip detector system using dedicated ASIC chips. The produced hits by the pair converted Compton photons are accumulated rather than individually read out. A transverse profile displacement can be measured with mu m accuracy rendering a polarization measurement of the order of 1% on the time scale of 10-15 min possible.

  20. 2D dark-count-rate modeling of PureB single-photon avalanche diodes in a TCAD environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knežević, Tihomir; Nanver, Lis K.; Suligoj, Tomislav

    2018-02-01

    PureB silicon photodiodes have nm-shallow p+n junctions with which photons/electrons with penetration-depths of a few nanometer can be detected. PureB Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) were fabricated and analysed by 2D numerical modeling as an extension to TCAD software. The very shallow p+ -anode has high perimeter curvature that enhances the electric field. In SPADs, noise is quantified by the dark count rate (DCR) that is a measure for the number of false counts triggered by unwanted processes in the non-illuminated device. Just like for desired events, the probability a dark count increases with increasing electric field and the perimeter conditions are critical. In this work, the DCR was studied by two 2D methods of analysis: the "quasi-2D" (Q-2D) method where vertical 1D cross-sections were assumed for calculating the electron/hole avalanche-probabilities, and the "ionization-integral 2D" (II-2D) method where crosssections were placed where the maximum ionization-integrals were calculated. The Q-2D method gave satisfactory results in structures where the peripheral regions had a small contribution to the DCR, such as in devices with conventional deepjunction guard rings (GRs). Otherwise, the II-2D method proved to be much more precise. The results show that the DCR simulation methods are useful for optimizing the compromise between fill-factor and p-/n-doping profile design in SPAD devices. For the experimentally investigated PureB SPADs, excellent agreement of the measured and simulated DCR was achieved. This shows that although an implicit GR is attractively compact, the very shallow pn-junction gives a risk of having such a low breakdown voltage at the perimeter that the DCR of the device may be negatively impacted.

  1. Modelling and simulation of pixelated photon counting X-ray detectors for imaging; Modellierung und Simulation physikalischer Eigenschaften photonenzaehlender Roentgenpixeldetektoren fuer die Bildgebung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Durst, Juergen

    2008-07-22

    First of all the physics processes generating the energy deposition in the sensor volume are investigated. The spatial resolution limits of photon interactions and the range of secondary electrons are discussed. The signatures in the energy deposition spectrum in pixelated detectors with direct conversion layers are described. The energy deposition for single events can be generated by the Monte-Carlo-Simulation package ROSI. The basic interactions of photons with matter are evaluated, resulting in the ability to use ROSI as a basis for the simulation of photon counting pixel detectors with direct conversion. In the context of this thesis a detector class is developed to simulate the response of hybrid photon counting pixel detectors using high-Z sensor materials like Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) or Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) in addition to silicon. To enable the realisation of such a simulation, the relevant physics processes and properties have to be implemented: processes in the sensor layer (provided by EGS4/LSCAT in ROSI), generation of charge carriers as electron hole pairs, diffusion and repulsion of charge carriers during drift and lifetime. Furthermore, several noise contributions of the electronics can be taken into account. The result is a detector class which allows the simulation of photon counting detectors. In this thesis the multiplicity framework is developed, including a formula to calculate or measure the zero frequency detective quantum efficiency (DQE). To enable the measurement of the multiplicity of detected events a cluster analysis program was developed. Random and systematic errors introduced by the cluster analysis are discussed. It is also shown that the cluster analysis method can be used to determine the averaged multiplicity with high accuracy. The method is applied to experimental data. As an example using the implemented detector class, the discriminator threshold dependency of the DQE and modulation transfer function is investigated in

  2. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with 9-eV photon-energy pulses generated in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bromberger, H.; Ermolov, A.; Belli, F.; Liu, H.; Calegari, F.; Chávez-Cervantes, M.; Li, M. T.; Lin, C. T.; Abdolvand, A.; Russell, P. St. J.; Cavalleri, A.; Travers, J. C.; Gierz, I.

    2015-08-01

    A recently developed source of ultraviolet radiation, based on optical soliton propagation in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber, is applied here to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Near-infrared femtosecond pulses of only few μJ energy generate vacuum ultraviolet radiation between 5.5 and 9 eV inside the gas-filled fiber. These pulses are used to measure the band structure of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 with a signal to noise ratio comparable to that obtained with high order harmonics from a gas jet. The two-order-of-magnitude gain in efficiency promises time-resolved ARPES measurements at repetition rates of hundreds of kHz or even MHz, with photon energies that cover the first Brillouin zone of most materials.

  3. Estimation of scattered photons using a neural network in SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Wataru; Ogawa, Koichi

    1994-01-01

    In single photon emission CT (SPECT), measured projection data involve scattered photons. This causes degradation of spatial resolution and contrast in reconstructed images. The purpose of this study is to estimate the scattered photons, and eliminate them from measured data. To estimate the scattered photons, we used an artificial neural network which consists of five input units, five hidden units, and two output units. The inputs of the network are the ratios of the counts acquired by five narrow energy windows and their sum. The outputs are the ratios of the count of scattered photons and that of primary photons to the total count. The neural network was trained with a back-propagation algorithm using count data obtained by a Monte Carlo simulation. The results of simulation showed improvement of contrast and spatial resolution in reconstructed images. (author)

  4. Radiation hardness tests and characterization of the CLARO-CMOS, a low power and fast single-photon counting ASIC in 0.35 micron CMOS technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fiorini, M.; Andreotti, M.; Baldini, W.; Calabrese, R.; Carniti, P.; Cassina, L.; Cotta Ramusino, A.; Giachero, A.; Gotti, C.; Luppi, E.; Maino, M.; Malaguti, R.; Pessina, G.; Tomassetti, L.

    2014-01-01

    The CLARO-CMOS is a prototype ASIC that allows fast photon counting with 5 ns peaking time, a recovery time to baseline smaller than 25 ns, and a power consumption of less than 1 mW per channel. This chip is capable of single-photon counting with multi-anode photomultipliers and finds applications also in the read-out of silicon photomultipliers and microchannel plates. The prototype is realized in AMS 0.35 micron CMOS technology. In the LHCb RICH environment, assuming 10 years of operation at the nominal luminosity expected after the upgrade in Long Shutdown 2 (LS2), the ASIC must withstand a total fluence of about 6×10 12 1 MeV n eq /cm 2 and a total ionizing dose of 400 krad. A systematic evaluation of the radiation effects on the CLARO-CMOS performance is therefore crucial to ensure long term stability of the electronics front-end. The results of multi-step irradiation tests with neutrons and X-rays up to the fluence of 10 14 cm −2 and a dose of 4 Mrad, respectively, are presented, including measurement of single event effects during irradiation and chip performance evaluation before and after each irradiation step. - Highlights: • CLARO chip capable of single-photon counting with 5 ns peaking time. • Chip irradiated up to very high neutron, proton and X-rays fluences, as expected for upgraded LHCb RICH detectors. • No significant performance degradation is observed after irradiation

  5. Measurement of uranium and plutonium in solid waste by passive photon or neutron counting and isotopic neutron source interrogation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crane, T.W.

    1980-03-01

    A summary of the status and applicability of nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques for the measurement of uranium and plutonium in 55-gal barrels of solid waste is reported. The NDA techniques reviewed include passive gamma-ray and x-ray counting with scintillator, solid state, and proportional gas photon detectors, passive neutron counting, and active neutron interrogation with neutron and gamma-ray counting. The active neutron interrogation methods are limited to those employing isotopic neutron sources. Three generic neutron sources (alpha-n, photoneutron, and /sup 252/Cf) are considered. The neutron detectors reviewed for both prompt and delayed fission neutron detection with the above sources include thermal (/sup 3/He, /sup 10/BF/sub 3/) and recoil (/sup 4/He, CH/sub 4/) proportional gas detectors and liquid and plastic scintillator detectors. The instrument found to be best suited for low-level measurements (< 10 nCi/g) is the /sup 252/Cf Shuffler. The measurement technique consists of passive neutron counting followed by cyclic activation using a /sup 252/Cf source and delayed neutron counting with the source withdrawn. It is recommended that a waste assay station composed of a /sup 252/Cf Shuffler, a gamma-ray scanner, and a screening station be tested and evaluated at a nuclear waste site. 34 figures, 15 tables.

  6. Fluorescence detection of single molecules using pulsed near-field optical excitation and time correlated photon counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ambrose, W.P.; Goodwin, P.M.; Martin, J.C.; Keller, R.A.

    1994-01-01

    Pulsed excitation, time correlated single photon counting and time gated detection are used in near-field optical microscopy to enhance fluorescence images and measure the fluorescence lifetimes of single molecules of Rhodamine 6G on silica surfaces. Time gated detection is used to reject prompt scattered background and to improve the image signal to noise ratio. The excited state lifetime of a single Rhodamine 6G molecule is found to depend on the position of the near-field probe. We attribute the lifetime variations to spontaneous emission rate alterations by the fluorescence reflected from and quenching by the aluminum coated probe

  7. TH-CD-207B-07: Noise Modeling of Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) for Photon Counting CT Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, Z; Zheng, X; Deen, J; Peng, H [McMaster University, Hamilton, ON (Canada); Xing, L [Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) has recently emerged as a promising photodetector for biomedical imaging applications. Due to its high multiplication gain (comparable to PMT), fast timing, low cost and compactness, it is considered a good candidate for photon counting CT. Dark noise is a limiting factor which impacts both energy resolution and detection dynamic range. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive model for noise sources for SiPM sensors. Methods: The physical parameters used in this work were based upon a test SPAD fabricated in 130nm CMOS process. The SPAD uses an n+/p-well junction, which is isolated from the p-substrate by a deep n-well junction. Inter-avalanche time measurement was used to record the time interval between two adjacent avalanche pulses. After collecting 1×106 counts, the histogram was obtained and multiple exponential fitting process was used to extract the lifetime associated with the traps within the bandgap. Results: At room temperature, the breakdown voltage of the SPAD is ∼11.4V and shows a temperature coefficient of 7.7mV/°C. The dark noise of SPAD increases with both the excess biasing voltage and temperature. The primary dark counts from the model were validated against the measurement results. A maximum relative error of 8.7% is observed at 20 °C with an excess voltage of 0.5V. The probabilities of after-pulsing are found to be dependent of both temperature and excess voltage. With 0.5V excess voltage, the after-pulsing probability is 63.5% at - 30 °C and drops to ∼6.6% at 40 °C. Conclusion: A comprehensive noise model for SPAD sensor was proposed. The model takes into account of static, dynamic and statistical behavior of SPADs. We believe that this is the first SPAD circuit simulation model that includes the band-to-band tunneling dark noise contribution and temporal dependence of the after-pulsing probability.

  8. Development and characterisation of a visible light photon counting imaging detector system

    CERN Document Server

    Barnstedt, J

    2002-01-01

    We report on the development of a visible light photon counting imaging detector system. The detector concept is based on standard 25 mm diameter microchannel plate image intensifiers made by Proxitronic in Bensheim (Germany). Modifications applied to these image intensifiers are the use of three microchannel plates instead of two and a high resistance ceramics plate used instead of the standard phosphor output screen. A wedge and strip anode mounted directly behind the high resistance ceramics plate was used as a read out device. This wedge and strip anode picks up the image charge of electron clouds emerging from the microchannel plates. The charge pulses are fed into four charge amplifiers and subsequently into a digital position decoding electronics, achieving a position resolution of up to 1024x1024 pixels. Mounting the anode outside the detector tube is a new approach and has the great advantage of avoiding electrical feedthroughs from the anode so that the standard image intensifier fabrication process...

  9. Preliminary characterization of a single photon counting detection system for CT application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belcari, N.; Bisogni, M.G.; Carpentieri, C.; Del Guerra, A.; Delogu, P.; Panetta, D.; Quattrocchi, M.; Rosso, V.; Stefanini, A.

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this work is to evaluate the capability of a single photon counting acquisition system based on the Medipix2 read-out chip for Computed Tomography (CT) applications in Small Animal Imaging. We used a micro-focus X-ray source with a W anode. The detection system is based on the Medipix2 read-out chip, bump-bonded to a 1 mm thick silicon pixel detector. The read-out chip geometry is a matrix of 256x256 cells, 55 μmx55 μm each. This system in planar radiography shows a good detection efficiency (about 70%) at the anode voltage of 30 kV and a good spatial resolution (MTF=10% at 16.8 lp/mm). Starting from these planar performances we have characterized the system for the tomography applications with phantoms. We will present the results obtained as a function of magnification with two different background medium compositions. The effect of the reconstruction algorithm on image quality will be also discussed

  10. Quantum photonics with quantum dots in photonic wires

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munsch, Mathieu; Kuhlmann, Andreas; Cadeddu, Davide

    2016-01-01

    We present results from the spectroscopy of a single quantum dot in a photonic wire. The device presents a high photon extraction efficiency, and strong hybrid coupling to mechanical modes. We use resonance fluorescence to probe the emitter’s properties with the highest sensitivity. Weperform...

  11. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with 9-eV photon-energy pulses generated in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bromberger, H., E-mail: Hubertus.Bromberger@mpsd.mpg.de; Liu, H.; Chávez-Cervantes, M.; Gierz, I. [Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Ermolov, A.; Belli, F.; Abdolvand, A.; Russell, P. St. J.; Travers, J. C. [Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Günther-Scharowsky-Str. 1, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Calegari, F. [Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies, IFN-CNR, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano (Italy); Li, M. T.; Lin, C. T. [Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstr. 1, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Cavalleri, A. [Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Rd. Oxford OX1 3PU (United Kingdom)

    2015-08-31

    A recently developed source of ultraviolet radiation, based on optical soliton propagation in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber, is applied here to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Near-infrared femtosecond pulses of only few μJ energy generate vacuum ultraviolet radiation between 5.5 and 9 eV inside the gas-filled fiber. These pulses are used to measure the band structure of the topological insulator Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} with a signal to noise ratio comparable to that obtained with high order harmonics from a gas jet. The two-order-of-magnitude gain in efficiency promises time-resolved ARPES measurements at repetition rates of hundreds of kHz or even MHz, with photon energies that cover the first Brillouin zone of most materials.

  12. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with 9-eV photon-energy pulses generated in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bromberger, H.; Liu, H.; Chávez-Cervantes, M.; Gierz, I.; Ermolov, A.; Belli, F.; Abdolvand, A.; Russell, P. St. J.; Travers, J. C.; Calegari, F.; Li, M. T.; Lin, C. T.; Cavalleri, A.

    2015-01-01

    A recently developed source of ultraviolet radiation, based on optical soliton propagation in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber, is applied here to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Near-infrared femtosecond pulses of only few μJ energy generate vacuum ultraviolet radiation between 5.5 and 9 eV inside the gas-filled fiber. These pulses are used to measure the band structure of the topological insulator Bi 2 Se 3 with a signal to noise ratio comparable to that obtained with high order harmonics from a gas jet. The two-order-of-magnitude gain in efficiency promises time-resolved ARPES measurements at repetition rates of hundreds of kHz or even MHz, with photon energies that cover the first Brillouin zone of most materials

  13. Microscopic theory of photon-correlation spectroscopy in strong-coupling semiconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneebeli, Lukas

    2009-11-27

    would be a great contribution in the growing field of quantum optics in semiconductors. The efforts in QD systems are again driven by the atomic systems which not only have shown the vacuum Rabi splitting, but also the second rung, e.g. via direct spectroscopy and via photon-correlation measurements. In this thesis, it is shown that spectrally resolved photon-statistics measurements of the resonance fluorescence from realistic semiconductor quantum-dot systems allow for high contrast identification of the two-photon strong-coupling states. Using a microscopic theory, the second-rung resonance of Jaynes-Cummings ladder is analyzed and optimum excitation conditions are determined. The computed photon-statistics spectrum displays gigantic, experimentally robust resonances at the energetic positions of the second-rung emission. The resonance fluorescence equations are derived and solved for strong-coupling semiconductor quantum-dot systems using a fully quantized multimode theory and a cluster-expansion approach. A reduced model is developed to explain the origin of auto- and cross-correlation resonances in the two-photon emission spectrum of the fluorescent light. These resonances are traced back to the two-photon strong-coupling states of Jaynes-Cummings ladder. The accuracy of the reduced model is verified via numerical solution of the resonance fluorescence equations. The analysis reveals the direct relation between the squeezed-light emission and the strong-coupling states in optically excited semiconductor systems. (orig.)

  14. 2Kx2K resolution element photon counting MCP sensor with >200 kHz event rate capability

    CERN Document Server

    Vallerga, J V

    2000-01-01

    Siegmund Scientific undertook a NASA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract to develop a versatile, high-performance photon (or particle) counting detector combining recent technical advances in all aspects of Microchannel Plate (MCP) detector development in a low cost, commercially viable package that can support a variety of applications. The detector concept consists of a set of MCPs whose output electron pulses are read out with a crossed delay line (XDL) anode and associated high-speed event encoding electronics. The delay line anode allows high-resolution photon event centroiding at very high event rates and can be scaled to large formats (>40 mm) while maintaining good linearity and high temporal stability. The optimal sensitivity wavelength range is determined by the choice of opaque photocathodes. Specific achievements included: spatial resolution of 200 000 events s sup - sup 1; local rates of >100 events s sup - sup 1 per resolution element; event timing of <1 ns; and low background ...

  15. 8-Channel acquisition system for Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonioli, S; Miari, L; Cuccato, A; Crotti, M; Rech, I; Ghioni, M

    2013-06-01

    Nowadays, an increasing number of applications require high-performance analytical instruments capable to detect the temporal trend of weak and fast light signals with picosecond time resolution. The Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting (TCSPC) technique is currently one of the preferable solutions when such critical optical signals have to be analyzed and it is fully exploited in biomedical and chemical research fields, as well as in security and space applications. Recent progress in the field of single-photon detector arrays is pushing research towards the development of high performance multichannel TCSPC systems, opening the way to modern time-resolved multi-dimensional optical analysis. In this paper we describe a new 8-channel high-performance TCSPC acquisition system, designed to be compact and versatile, to be used in modern TCSPC measurement setups. We designed a novel integrated circuit including a multichannel Time-to-Amplitude Converter with variable full-scale range, a D∕A converter, and a parallel adder stage. The latter is used to adapt each converter output to the input dynamic range of a commercial 8-channel Analog-to-Digital Converter, while the integrated DAC implements the dithering technique with as small as possible area occupation. The use of this monolithic circuit made the design of a scalable system of very small dimensions (95 × 40 mm) and low power consumption (6 W) possible. Data acquired from the TCSPC measurement are digitally processed and stored inside an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), while a USB transceiver allows real-time transmission of up to eight TCSPC histograms to a remote PC. Eventually, the experimental results demonstrate that the acquisition system performs TCSPC measurements with high conversion rate (up to 5 MHz/channel), extremely low differential nonlinearity (<0.04 peak-to-peak of the time bin width), high time resolution (down to 20 ps Full-Width Half-Maximum), and very low crosstalk between channels.

  16. Quantitative material decomposition using spectral computed tomography with an energy-resolved photon-counting detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seungwan; Choi, Yu-Na; Kim, Hee-Joung

    2014-01-01

    Dual-energy computed tomography (CT) techniques have been used to decompose materials and characterize tissues according to their physical and chemical compositions. However, these techniques are hampered by the limitations of conventional x-ray detectors operated in charge integrating mode. Energy-resolved photon-counting detectors provide spectral information from polychromatic x-rays using multiple energy thresholds. These detectors allow simultaneous acquisition of data in different energy ranges without spectral overlap, resulting in more efficient material decomposition and quantification for dual-energy CT. In this study, a pre-reconstruction dual-energy CT technique based on volume conservation was proposed for three-material decomposition. The technique was combined with iterative reconstruction algorithms by using a ray-driven projector in order to improve the quality of decomposition images and reduce radiation dose. A spectral CT system equipped with a CZT-based photon-counting detector was used to implement the proposed dual-energy CT technique. We obtained dual-energy images of calibration and three-material phantoms consisting of low atomic number materials from the optimal energy bins determined by Monte Carlo simulations. The material decomposition process was accomplished by both the proposed and post-reconstruction dual-energy CT techniques. Linear regression and normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE) analyses were performed to evaluate the quantitative accuracy of decomposition images. The calibration accuracy of the proposed dual-energy CT technique was higher than that of the post-reconstruction dual-energy CT technique, with fitted slopes of 0.97–1.01 and NRMSEs of 0.20–4.50% for all basis materials. In the three-material phantom study, the proposed dual-energy CT technique decreased the NRMSEs of measured volume fractions by factors of 0.17–0.28 compared to the post-reconstruction dual-energy CT technique. It was concluded that the

  17. Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy of Yb atoms and efficient generation of a cascade of two photons at 611.3 nm and 555.8 nm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Minsoo; Yoon, Duseong; Yoon, Taihyun

    2011-01-01

    We performed high-resolution Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy of Yb atoms in an effusive atomic beam and generated a cascade of two photons at 611.3 nm (idler) and 555.8 nm (signal) with a narrow bandwidth of 37 MHz. Efficient population transfer from the ground state (6s 2 1 S 0 ) to the upper state (6s7s 1 S 0 ), where direct transition at 291.1 nm is dipole forbidden, was achieved through a resonant two-photon excitation enhanced by the electromagnetically-induced transparency mediated by the intermediate state (6s6p 1 P 1 ). From the upper state, a cascade of two photons in sequence was emitted via the spin triplet state (6s 2 3 P 1 ). Numerical calculations of the density matrix equations taking into account the residual Doppler effect and strong driving fields explain quantitatively the experimental results for the dependences of the idler and the signal beam intensities on the various parameters of the driving fields. We report on the generation of a cascade of two photons with fluxes at the level of a few times 10 6 photons/s detected at a solid angle of 0.01 sr.

  18. Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy of Yb atoms and efficient generation of a cascade of two photons at 611.3 nm and 555.8 nm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Minsoo; Yoon, Duseong; Yoon, Taihyun [Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-10-15

    We performed high-resolution Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy of Yb atoms in an effusive atomic beam and generated a cascade of two photons at 611.3 nm (idler) and 555.8 nm (signal) with a narrow bandwidth of 37 MHz. Efficient population transfer from the ground state (6s{sup 2} {sup 1}S{sub 0}) to the upper state (6s7s {sup 1}S{sub 0}), where direct transition at 291.1 nm is dipole forbidden, was achieved through a resonant two-photon excitation enhanced by the electromagnetically-induced transparency mediated by the intermediate state (6s6p {sup 1}P{sub 1}). From the upper state, a cascade of two photons in sequence was emitted via the spin triplet state (6s{sup 2} {sup 3}P{sub 1}). Numerical calculations of the density matrix equations taking into account the residual Doppler effect and strong driving fields explain quantitatively the experimental results for the dependences of the idler and the signal beam intensities on the various parameters of the driving fields. We report on the generation of a cascade of two photons with fluxes at the level of a few times 10{sup 6} photons/s detected at a solid angle of 0.01 sr.

  19. Characterization of the Photon Counting CHASE Jr., Chip Built in a 40-nm CMOS Process With a Charge Sharing Correction Algorithm Using a Collimated X-Ray Beam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krzyżanowska, A. [AGH-UST, Cracow; Deptuch, G. W. [Fermilab; Maj, P. [AGH-UST, Cracow; Gryboś, P. [AGH-UST, Cracow; Szczygieł, R. [AGH-UST, Cracow

    2017-08-01

    This paper presents the detailed characterization of a single photon counting chip, named CHASE Jr., built in a CMOS 40-nm process, operating with synchrotron radiation. The chip utilizes an on-chip implementation of the C8P1 algorithm. The algorithm eliminates the charge sharing related uncertainties, namely, the dependence of the number of registered photons on the discriminator’s threshold, set for monochromatic irradiation, and errors in the assignment of an event to a certain pixel. The article presents a short description of the algorithm as well as the architecture of the CHASE Jr., chip. The analog and digital functionalities, allowing for proper operation of the C8P1 algorithm are described, namely, an offset correction for two discriminators independently, two-stage gain correction, and different operation modes of the digital blocks. The results of tests of the C8P1 operation are presented for the chip bump bonded to a silicon sensor and exposed to the 3.5- μm -wide pencil beam of 8-keV photons of synchrotron radiation. It was studied how sensitive the algorithm performance is to the chip settings, as well as the uniformity of parameters of the analog front-end blocks. Presented results prove that the C8P1 algorithm enables counting all photons hitting the detector in between readout channels and retrieving the actual photon energy.

  20. Polarization and pressure effects in caesium 6S-8S two-photon spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yi-Chi; Tsai, Chin-Chun; Chui, Hsiang-Chen; Chang, Yi-Hsiu; Chen, Ying-Yu

    2010-01-01

    This work analyses the effects of polarization and pressure in caesium 6S-8S two-photon spectroscopy. The linewidth was broadened and the frequency was shifted by a change of polarization states. The frequency shift and the linewidth broadening of the caesium 6S-8S two-photon transition were measured as a function of laser power using one single-frequency Ti:sapphire ring cavity laser, two caesium cells and two quarter-wave plates to ensure polarization states of light, and we showed that the linewidth cannot be evaluated just by fitting data to a Lorentzian shape. As determined by fitting the data to a Voigt profile, the natural linewidth is independent of the polarization states of the pump beams, the laser power and the pressure. Caesium 6S-8S two-photon transitions pumped by a circularly polarized beam have narrower linewidths and smaller shifts than those pumped by a linearly polarized beam. The light shift obtained by pumping with the circularly polarized beam is -6.75(57) Hz (mW mm -2 ) -1 , and that obtained by pumping with a linearly polarized beam is -7.25(45) Hz (mW mm -2 ) -1 . These results agree closely with theoretical calculations. The pressure shift is -588(387) Hz mPa -1 . This work shows how to evaluate two-photon transitions with a Voigt profile, and then helps us to understand two-photon transitions with different polarization states, and improve the signal quality obtained when they are used as frequency markers.

  1. Performance of a single photon counting microstrip detector for strip pitches down to 10 μm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergamaschi, A.; Broennimann, Ch.; Dinapoli, R.; Eikenberry, E.; Gozzo, F.; Henrich, B.; Kobas, M.; Kraft, P.; Patterson, B.; Schmitt, B.

    2008-01-01

    The MYTHEN detector is a one-dimensional microstrip detector with single photon counting readout optimized for time resolved powder diffraction experiments at the Swiss Light Source (SLS). The system has been successfully tested for many different synchrotron radiation applications including phase contrast and tomographic imaging, small angle scattering, diffraction and time resolved pump and probe experiments for X-ray energies down to 5 keV and counting rate up to 3 MHz. The frontend electronics is designed in order to be coupled to 50 μm pitch microstrip sensors but some interest in enhancing the spatial resolution is arising for imaging and powder diffraction experiments. A test structure with strip pitches in the range 10-50 μm has been tested and the gain and noise on the readout electronics have been measured for the different strip pitches, observing no large difference down to 25 μm. Moreover, the effect of the charge sharing between neighboring strips on the spatial resolution has been quantified by measuring the Point Spread Function (PSF) of the system for the different pitches

  2. Performance of a single photon counting microstrip detector for strip pitches down to 10 μm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergamaschi, A.; Broennimann, Ch.; Dinapoli, R.; Eikenberry, E.; Gozzo, F.; Henrich, B.; Kobas, M.; Kraft, P.; Patterson, B.; Schmitt, B.

    2008-06-01

    The MYTHEN detector is a one-dimensional microstrip detector with single photon counting readout optimized for time resolved powder diffraction experiments at the Swiss Light Source (SLS). The system has been successfully tested for many different synchrotron radiation applications including phase contrast and tomographic imaging, small angle scattering, diffraction and time resolved pump and probe experiments for X-ray energies down to 5 keV and counting rate up to 3 MHz. The frontend electronics is designed in order to be coupled to 50 μm pitch microstrip sensors but some interest in enhancing the spatial resolution is arising for imaging and powder diffraction experiments. A test structure with strip pitches in the range 10-50 μm has been tested and the gain and noise on the readout electronics have been measured for the different strip pitches, observing no large difference down to 25 μm. Moreover, the effect of the charge sharing between neighboring strips on the spatial resolution has been quantified by measuring the Point Spread Function (PSF) of the system for the different pitches.

  3. Irradiation of the CLARO-CMOS chip, a fast ASIC for single-photon counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreotti, M.; Baldini, W.; Calabrese, R.; Carniti, P.; Cassina, L.; Cotta Ramusino, A.; Fiorini, M.; Giachero, A.; Gotti, C.; Luppi, E.; Maino, M.; Malaguti, R.; Pessina, G.; Tomassetti, L.

    2015-01-01

    The CLARO-CMOS is a prototype ASIC that allows fast photon counting with low power consumption, built in AMS 0.35 μm CMOS technology. It is intended to be used as a front-end readout for the upgraded LHCb RICH detectors. In this environment, assuming 10 years of operation at the nominal luminosity expected after the upgrade, the ASIC must withstand a total fluence of about 6×10 12 1 MeV n eq /cm 2 and a total ionising dose of 400 krad. Long term stability of the electronics front-end is essential and the effects of radiation damage on the CLARO-CMOS performance must be carefully studied. This paper describes results of multi-step irradiation tests with protons up to the dose of ~8 Mrad, including measurement of single event effects during irradiation and chip performance evaluation before and after each irradiation step

  4. Transmission Near-Infrared (NIR) and Photon Time-of-Flight (PTOF) Spectroscopy in a Comparative Analysis of Pharmaceuticals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kamran, Faisal; Abildgaard, Otto Højager Attermann; Sparén, Anders

    2015-01-01

    We present a comprehensive study of the application of photon time-of-flight spectroscopy (PTOFS) in the wavelength range 1050– 1350 nm as a spectroscopic technique for the evaluation of the chemical composition and structural properties of pharmaceutical tablets. PTOFS is compared to transmissio...

  5. A compact 7-cell Si-drift detector module for high-count rate X-ray spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, K; Reckleben, C; Diehl, I; Klär, H

    2008-05-01

    A new Si-drift detector module for fast X-ray spectroscopy experiments was developed and realized. The Peltier-cooled module comprises a sensor with 7 × 7-mm 2 active area, an integrated circuit for amplification, shaping and detection, storage, and derandomized readout of signal pulses in parallel, and amplifiers for line driving. The compactness and hexagonal shape of the module with a wrench size of 16mm allow very short distances to the specimen and multi-module arrangements. The power dissipation is 186mW. At a shaper peaking time of 190 ns and an integration time of 450 ns an electronic rms noise of ~11 electrons was achieved. When operated at 7 °C, FWHM line widths around 260 and 460 eV (Cu-K α ) were obtained at low rates and at sum-count rates of 1.7 MHz, respectively. The peak shift is below 1% for a broad range of count rates. At 1.7-MHz sum-count rate the throughput loss amounts to 30%.

  6. Trapping and spectroscopy of hydrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cesar, Claudio Lenz

    1997-01-01

    I review the results and techniques used by the MIT H↑ group to achieve a fractional resolution of 2 parts in 10 12 in the 1S-2S transition in hydrogen [Cesar, D. Fried, T. Killian, A. Polcyn, J. Sandberg, I.A. Yu, T. Greytak, D. Kleppner and J. Doyle, Two-photon spectroscopy of trapped atomic hydrogen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 (1996) 255.] With some improvements, this system should deliver 100 times higher resolution with an improved signal count rate getting us closer to an old advertised goal of a precision of 1 part in 10 18 . While these developments are very important for the proposed test of the CPT theorem through the comparison with anti-hydrogen, some of the techniques used with hydrogen are not applicable to anti-hydrogen and I discuss some difficulties and alternatives for the trapping and spectroscopy of anti-hydrogen

  7. Calculation of the spatial resolution in two-photon absorption spectroscopy applied to plasma diagnosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia-Lechuga, M. [Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011-Valladolid (Spain); Laser Processing Group, Instituto de Óptica “Daza de Valdés,” CSIC, 28006-Madrid (Spain); Fuentes, L. M. [Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011-Valladolid (Spain); Grützmacher, K.; Pérez, C., E-mail: concha@opt.uva.es; Rosa, M. I. de la [Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011-Valladolid (Spain)

    2014-10-07

    We report a detailed characterization of the spatial resolution provided by two-photon absorption spectroscopy suited for plasma diagnosis via the 1S-2S transition of atomic hydrogen for optogalvanic detection and laser induced fluorescence (LIF). A precise knowledge of the spatial resolution is crucial for a correct interpretation of measurements, if the plasma parameters to be analysed undergo strong spatial variations. The present study is based on a novel approach which provides a reliable and realistic determination of the spatial resolution. Measured irradiance distribution of laser beam waists in the overlap volume, provided by a high resolution UV camera, are employed to resolve coupled rate equations accounting for two-photon excitation, fluorescence decay and ionization. The resulting three-dimensional yield distributions reveal in detail the spatial resolution for optogalvanic and LIF detection and related saturation due to depletion. Two-photon absorption profiles broader than the Fourier transform-limited laser bandwidth are also incorporated in the calculations. The approach allows an accurate analysis of the spatial resolution present in recent and future measurements.

  8. Calculation of the spatial resolution in two-photon absorption spectroscopy applied to plasma diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Lechuga, M.; Fuentes, L. M.; Grützmacher, K.; Pérez, C.; Rosa, M. I. de la

    2014-01-01

    We report a detailed characterization of the spatial resolution provided by two-photon absorption spectroscopy suited for plasma diagnosis via the 1S-2S transition of atomic hydrogen for optogalvanic detection and laser induced fluorescence (LIF). A precise knowledge of the spatial resolution is crucial for a correct interpretation of measurements, if the plasma parameters to be analysed undergo strong spatial variations. The present study is based on a novel approach which provides a reliable and realistic determination of the spatial resolution. Measured irradiance distribution of laser beam waists in the overlap volume, provided by a high resolution UV camera, are employed to resolve coupled rate equations accounting for two-photon excitation, fluorescence decay and ionization. The resulting three-dimensional yield distributions reveal in detail the spatial resolution for optogalvanic and LIF detection and related saturation due to depletion. Two-photon absorption profiles broader than the Fourier transform-limited laser bandwidth are also incorporated in the calculations. The approach allows an accurate analysis of the spatial resolution present in recent and future measurements.

  9. Cascaded systems analysis of charge sharing in cadmium telluride photon-counting x-ray detectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanguay, Jesse; Cunningham, Ian A

    2018-05-01

    Single-photon-counting (SPC) and spectroscopic x-ray detectors are under development in academic and industry laboratories for medical imaging applications. The spatial resolution of SPC and spectroscopic x-ray detectors is an important design criterion. The purpose of this article was to extend the cascaded systems approach to include a description of the spatial resolution of SPC and spectroscopic x-ray imaging detectors. A cascaded systems approach was used to model reabsorption of characteristic x rays, Coulomb repulsion, and diffusion in SPC and spectroscopic x-ray detectors. In addition to reabsorption, diffusion, and Coulomb repulsion, the model accounted for x-ray conversion to electron-hole (e-h) pairs, integration of e-h pairs in detector elements, electronic noise, and energy thresholding. The probability density function (PDF) describing the number of e-h pairs was propagated through each stage of the model and was used to derive new theoretical expressions for the large-area gain and modulation transfer function (MTF) of CdTe SPC x-ray detectors, and the energy bin sensitivity functions and MTFs of CdTe spectroscopic detectors. Theoretical predictions were compared with the results of MATLAB-based Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and published data. Comparisons were also made with the MTF of energy-integrating systems. Under general radiographic conditions, reabsorption, diffusion, and Coulomb repulsion together artificially inflate count rates by 20% to 50%. For thicker converters (e.g. 1000 μm) and larger detector elements (e.g. 500 μm pixel pitch) these processes result in modest inflation (i.e. ∼10%) in apparent count rates. Our theoretical and MC analyses predict that SPC MTFs will be degraded relative to those of energy-integrating systems for fluoroscopic, general radiographic, and CT imaging conditions. In most cases, this degradation is modest (i.e., ∼10% at the Nyquist frequency). However, for thicker converters, the SPC MTF can be degraded

  10. Counting statistics and loss corrections for the APS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, W.K.; Mills, D.M.

    1992-01-01

    It has been suggested that for timing experiments, it might be advantageous to arrange the bunches in the storage ring in an asymmetrical mode. In this paper, we determine the counting losses from pulsed x-ray sources from basic probabilistic arguments and from Poisson statistics. In particular the impact on single photon counting losses of a variety of possible filling modes for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) is examined. For bunches of equal current, a loss of 10% occurs whenever the count rate exceeds 21% of the bunch repetition rate. This changes slightly when bunches containing unequal numbers of particles are considered. The results are applied to several common detector/electronics systems

  11. Counting statistics and loss corrections for the APS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, W.K.; Mills, D.M.

    1992-01-01

    It has been suggested that for timing experiments, it might be advantageous to arrange the bunches in the storage ring in an asymmetrical mode. In this paper, we determine the counting losses from pulsed x-ray sources from basic probabilistic arguments and from Poisson statistics. In particular the impact on single-photon counting losses of a variety of possible filling modes for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) is examined. For bunches of equal current, a loss of 10% occurs whenever the count rate exceeds 21% of the bunch repetition rate. This changes slightly when bunches containing unequal numbers of particles are considered. The results are applied to several common detector/electronics systems

  12. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with 9-eV photon-energy pulses generated in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber

    OpenAIRE

    Bromberger, H.; Ermolov, A.; Belli, F.; Liu, H.; Calegari, F.; Chavez-Cervantes, M.; Li, M. T.; Lin, C. T.; Abdolvand, A.; Russell, P. St. J.; Cavalleri, A.; Travers, J. C.; Gierz, I.

    2015-01-01

    A recently developed source of ultraviolet radiation, based on optical soliton propagation in a gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber, is applied here to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Near-infrared femtosecond pulses of only few {\\mu}J energy generate vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation between 5.5 and 9 eV inside the gas-filled fiber. These pulses are used to measure the band structure of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 with a signal to noise ratio comparable to ...

  13. Cascaded two-photon spectroscopy of Yb atoms with a transportable effusive atomic beam apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Minsoo; Yoon, Tai Hyun

    2013-01-01

    We present a transportable effusive atomic beam apparatus for cascaded two-photon spectroscopy of the dipole-forbidden transition (6s 2 1 S 0 ↔ 6s7s 1 S 0 ) of Yb atoms. An ohmic-heating effusive oven is designed to have a reservoir volume of 1.6 cm 3 and a high degree of atomic beam collimation angle of 30 mrad. The new atomic beam apparatus allows us to detect the spontaneously cascaded two-photons from the 6s7s 1 S 0 state via the intercombination 6s6p 3 P 1 state with a high signal-to-noise ratio even at the temperature of 340 °C. This is made possible in our apparatus because of the enhanced atomic beam flux and superior detection solid angle.

  14. High-resolution photon spectroscopy with a microwave-multiplexed 4-pixel transition edge sensor array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guss, Paul; Rabin, Michael; Croce, Mark; Hoteling, Nathan; Schwellenbach, David; Kruschwitz, Craig; Mocko, Veronika; Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy

    2017-09-01

    We demonstrate very high-resolution photon spectroscopy with a microwave-multiplexed 4-pixel transition edge sensor (TES) array. The readout circuit consists of superconducting microwave resonators coupled to radio frequency superconducting-quantum-interference devices (RF-SQUIDs) and transduces changes in input current to changes in phase of a microwave signal. We used a flux-ramp modulation to linearize the response and avoid low-frequency noise. The result is a very high-resolution photon spectroscopy with a microwave-multiplexed 4-pixel transition edge sensor array. We performed and validated a small-scale demonstration and test of all the components of our concept system, which encompassed microcalorimetry, microwave multiplexing, RF-SQUIDs, and software-defined radio (SDR). We shall display data we acquired in the first simultaneous combination of all key innovations in a 4-pixel demonstration, including microcalorimetry, microwave multiplexing, RF-SQUIDs, and SDR. We present the energy spectrum of a gadolinium-153 (153Gd) source we measured using our 4-pixel TES array and the RF-SQUID multiplexer. For each pixel, one can observe the two 97.4 and 103.2 keV photopeaks. We measured the 153Gd photon source with an achieved energy resolution of 70 eV, full width half maximum (FWHM) at 100 keV, and an equivalent readout system noise of 90 pA/pHz at the TES. This demonstration establishes a path for the readout of cryogenic x-ray and gamma ray sensor arrays with more elements and spectral resolving powers. We believe this project has improved capabilities and substantively advanced the science useful for missions such as nuclear forensics, emergency response, and treaty verification through the explored TES developments.

  15. Characterization, 1064 nm photon signals and background events of a tungsten TES detector for the ALPS experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dreyling-Eschweiler, J.; Doebrich, B.; Januschek, F.; Lindner, A.; Bastidon, N.; Horns, D.

    2015-02-01

    The high efficiency, low-background, and single-photon detection with transition-edge sensors (TES) is making this type of detector attractive in widely different types of application. In this paper, we present first characterizations of a TES to be used in the Any Light Particle Search (ALPS) experiment searching for new fundamental ultra-light particles. Firstly, we describe the setup and the main components of the ALPS TES detector (TES, millikelvin-cryostat and SQUID read-out) and their performances. Secondly, we explain a dedicated analysis method for single-photon spectroscopy and rejection of non-photon background. Finally, we report on results from extensive background measurements. Considering an event-selection, optimized for a wavelength of 1064 nm, we achieved a background suppression of ∝10 -3 with a ∝ 50 % efficiency for photons passing the selection. The resulting overall efficiency was 23 % with a dark count rate of 8.6.10 -3 s -1 . We observed that pile-up events of thermal photons are the main background component.

  16. X-ray Imaging Using a Hybrid Photon Counting GaAs Pixel Detector

    CERN Document Server

    Schwarz, C; Göppert, R; Heijne, Erik H M; Ludwig, J; Meddeler, G; Mikulec, B; Pernigotti, E; Rogalla, M; Runge, K; Smith, K M; Snoeys, W; Söldner-Rembold, S; Watt, J

    1999-01-01

    The performance of hybrid GaAs pixel detectors as X-ray imaging sensors were investigated at room temperature. These hybrids consist of 300 mu-m thick GaAs pixel detectors, flip-chip bonded to a CMOS Single Photon Counting Chip (PCC). This chip consists of a matrix of 64 x 64 identical square pixels (170 mu-m x 170 mu-m) and covers a total area of 1.2 cm**2. The electronics in each cell comprises a preamplifier, a discriminator with a 3-bit threshold adjust and a 15-bit counter. The detector is realized by an array of Schottky diodes processed on semi-insulating LEC-GaAs bulk material. An IV-charcteristic and a detector bias voltage scan showed that the detector can be operated with voltages around 200 V. Images of various objects were taken by using a standard X-ray tube for dental diagnostics. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) was also determined. The applications of these imaging systems range from medical applications like digital mammography or dental X-ray diagnostics to non destructive material testing (...

  17. TU-G-207-01: CT Imaging Using Energy-Sensitive Photon-Counting Detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taguchi, K.

    2015-01-01

    Last few years has witnessed the development of novel of X-ray imaging modalities, such as spectral CT, phase contrast CT, and X-ray acoustic/fluorescence/luminescence imaging. This symposium will present the recent advances of these emerging X-ray imaging modalities and update the attendees with knowledge in various related topics, including X-ray photon-counting detectors, X-ray physics underlying the emerging applications beyond the traditional X-ray imaging, image reconstruction for the novel modalities, characterization and evaluation of the systems, and their practical implications. In addition, the concept and practical aspects of X-ray activatable targeted nanoparticles for molecular X-ray imaging will be discussed in the context of X-ray fluorescence and luminescence CT. Learning Objectives: Present background knowledge of various emerging X-ray imaging techniques, such as spectral CT, phase contrast CT and X-ray fluorescence/luminescence CT. Discuss the practical need, technical aspects and current status of the emerging X-ray imaging modalities. Describe utility and future impact of the new generation of X-ray imaging applications

  18. Photon counting with a FDIRC Cherenkov prototype readout by SiPM arrays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marrocchesi, P.S., E-mail: marrocchesi@pi.infn.it [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bagliesi, M.G. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); Basti, A. [Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bigongiari, G.; Bonechi, S.; Brogi, P. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Checchia, C.; Collazuol, G. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, and INFN-Padova, 35131 Padova (Italy); Maestro, P. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Morsani, F. [INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Piemonte, C. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), I-38122 Trento (Italy); Stolzi, F.; Suh, J.E; Sulaj, A. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy)

    2017-02-11

    A prototype of a Focused Internal Reflection Cherenkov, equipped with 16 arrays of NUV-SiPM, was tested at CERN SPS in March 2015 with beams of relativistic ions at 13, 19 and 30 GeV/n obtained from fragmentation of an Ar primary beam. The detector, designed to identify cosmic nuclei, features a Fused Silica radiator bar optically connected to a cylindrical mirror of the same material and an imaging focal plane of dimensions ∼4 cm×3 cm covered with a total of 1024 SiPM photosensors. Thanks to the outstanding performance of the SiPM arrays, the detector could be operated in photon counting mode as a fully digital device. The Cherenkov pattern was recorded together with the total number of detected photoelectrons increasing as Z{sup 2} as a function of the atomic number Z of the beam particle. In this paper, we report on the characterization and test of the SiPM arrays and the performance of the Cherenkov prototype for the charge identification of the beam particles.

  19. Simultaneous resolution of spectral and temporal properties of UV and visible fluorescence using single-photon counting with a position-sensitive detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelly, L.A.; Trunk, J.G.; Polewski, K.; Sutherland, J.C.

    1995-01-01

    A new fluorescence spectrometer has been assembled at the U9B beamline of the National Synchrotron Light Source to allow simultaneous multiwavelength and time-resolved fluorescence detection, as well as spatial imaging of the sample fluorescence. The spectrometer employs monochromatized, tunable UV and visible excitation light from a synchrotron bending magnet and an imaging spectrograph equipped with a single-photon sensitive emission detector. The detector is comprised of microchannel plates in series, with a resistive anode for encoding the position of the photon-derived current. The centroid position of the photon-induced electron cascade is derived in a position analyzer from the four signals measured at the corners of the resistive anode. Spectral information is obtained by dispersing the fluorescence spectrum across one dimension of the detector photocathode. Timing information is obtained by monitoring the voltage divider circuit at the last MCP detector. The signal from the MCP is used as a ''start'' signal to perform a time-correlated single photon counting experiment. The analog signal representing the position, and hence wavelength, is digitized concomitantly with the start/stop time difference and stored in the two-dimensional histogramming memory of a multiparameter analyzer

  20. High-resolution broadband terahertz spectroscopy via electronic heterodyne detection of photonically generated terahertz frequency comb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavelyev, D G; Skryl, A S; Bakunov, M I

    2014-10-01

    We report an alternative approach to the terahertz frequency-comb spectroscopy (TFCS) based on nonlinear mixing of a photonically generated terahertz pulse train with a continuous wave signal from an electronic synthesizer. A superlattice is used as a nonlinear mixer. Unlike the standard TFCS technique, this approach does not require a complex double-laser system but retains the advantages of TFCS-high spectral resolution and wide bandwidth.

  1. Distributed plastic optical fibre measurement of pH using a photon counting OTDR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saunders, C; Scully, P J

    2005-01-01

    Distributed measurement of pH was demonstrated at a sensitised region 4m from the distal end of a 20m length of plastic optical fibre. The cladding was removed from the fibre over 150mm and the bare core was exposed to an aqueous solution of methyl red at three values of pH, between 2.89 and 9.70. The optical fibre was interrogated at 648nm using a Luciol photon counting optical time domain reflectometer, and demonstrated that the sensing region was attenuated as a function of pH. The attenuation varied from 16.3 dB at pH 2.89 to 8.6 dB at pH 9.70; this range equated to -1.13 ± 0.04 dB/pH. It is thus possible to determine both the position to ± 12mm and pH to an estimated ± 0.5pH at the sensing region

  2. High-performance integrated pick-up circuit for SPAD arrays in time-correlated single photon counting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acconcia, Giulia; Cominelli, Alessandro; Peronio, Pietro; Rech, Ivan; Ghioni, Massimo

    2017-05-01

    The analysis of optical signals by means of Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) has been subject to a widespread interest in recent years. The development of multichannel high-performance Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) acquisition systems has undergone a fast trend. Concerning the detector performance, best in class results have been obtained resorting to custom technologies leading also to a strong dependence of the detector timing jitter from the threshold used to determine the onset of the photogenerated current flow. In this scenario, the avalanche current pick-up circuit plays a key role in determining the timing performance of the TCSPC acquisition system, especially with a large array of SPAD detectors because of electrical crosstalk issues. We developed a new current pick-up circuit based on a transimpedance amplifier structure able to extract the timing information from a 50-μm-diameter custom technology SPAD with a state-of-art timing jitter as low as 32ps and suitable to be exploited with SPAD arrays. In this paper we discuss the key features of this structure and we present a new version of the pick-up circuit that also provides quenching capabilities in order to minimize the number of interconnections required, an aspect that becomes more and more crucial in densely integrated systems.

  3. Waveguide-Coupled Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyer, Andrew D.; Briggs, Ryan M.; Marsili, Francesco; Cohen, Justin D.; Meenehan, Sean M.; Painter, Oskar J.; Shaw, Matthew D.

    2015-01-01

    We have demonstrated WSi-based superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors coupled to SiNx waveguides with integrated ring resonators. This photonics platform enables the implementation of robust and efficient photon-counting detectors with fine spectral resolution near 1550 nm.

  4. InGaAs/InAlAs single photon avalanche diode for 1550 nm photons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Xiao; Xie, Shiyu; Zhou, Xinxin; Calandri, Niccolò; Sanzaro, Mirko; Tosi, Alberto; Tan, Chee Hing; Ng, Jo Shien

    2016-03-01

    A single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) with an InGaAs absorption region, and an InAlAs avalanche region was designed and demonstrated to detect 1550 nm wavelength photons. The characterization included leakage current, dark count rate and single photon detection efficiency as functions of temperature from 210 to 294 K. The SPAD exhibited good temperature stability, with breakdown voltage dependence of approximately 45 mV K(-1). Operating at 210 K and in a gated mode, the SPAD achieved a photon detection probability of 26% at 1550 nm with a dark count rate of 1 × 10(8) Hz. The time response of the SPAD showed decreasing timing jitter (full width at half maximum) with increasing overbias voltage, with 70 ps being the smallest timing jitter measured.

  5. Two photon laser spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium atoms at CERN’s AD

    CERN Document Server

    Hori, M

    2014-01-01

    The ASACUSA collaboration of CERN has carried out two-photon laser spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium atoms using counter-propagating ultraviolet laser beams. This excited some non-linear transitions of the antiproton at the wavelengths λ = 139.8–197.0 nm, in a way that reduced the thermal Doppler broadening of the observed resonances. The resulting narrow spectral lines allowed the measurement of three transition frequencies with fractional precisions of 2.3–5 parts in 109. By comparing these values with three-body QED calculations, the antiproton-to-electron mass ratio was derived as 1836.1526736(23). We briefly review these results.

  6. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography with a photon-counting detector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fredenberg, Erik; Hemmendorff, Magnus; Cederström, Björn; Aslund, Magnus; Danielsson, Mats

    2010-05-01

    Spectral imaging is a method in medical x-ray imaging to extract information about the object constituents by the material-specific energy dependence of x-ray attenuation. The authors have investigated a photon-counting spectral imaging system with two energy bins for contrast-enhanced mammography. System optimization and the potential benefit compared to conventional non-energy-resolved absorption imaging was studied. A framework for system characterization was set up that included quantum and anatomical noise and a theoretical model of the system was benchmarked to phantom measurements. Optimal combination of the energy-resolved images corresponded approximately to minimization of the anatomical noise, which is commonly referred to as energy subtraction. In that case, an ideal-observer detectability index could be improved close to 50% compared to absorption imaging in the phantom study. Optimization with respect to the signal-to-quantum-noise ratio, commonly referred to as energy weighting, yielded only a minute improvement. In a simulation of a clinically more realistic case, spectral imaging was predicted to perform approximately 30% better than absorption imaging for an average glandularity breast with an average level of anatomical noise. For dense breast tissue and a high level of anatomical noise, however, a rise in detectability by a factor of 6 was predicted. Another approximately 70%-90% improvement was found to be within reach for an optimized system. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography is feasible and beneficial with the current system, and there is room for additional improvements. Inclusion of anatomical noise is essential for optimizing spectral imaging systems.

  7. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography with a photon-counting detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fredenberg, Erik; Hemmendorff, Magnus; Cederstroem, Bjoern; Aaslund, Magnus; Danielsson, Mats [Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna (Sweden); Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna (Sweden); Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2010-05-15

    Purpose: Spectral imaging is a method in medical x-ray imaging to extract information about the object constituents by the material-specific energy dependence of x-ray attenuation. The authors have investigated a photon-counting spectral imaging system with two energy bins for contrast-enhanced mammography. System optimization and the potential benefit compared to conventional non-energy-resolved absorption imaging was studied. Methods: A framework for system characterization was set up that included quantum and anatomical noise and a theoretical model of the system was benchmarked to phantom measurements. Results: Optimal combination of the energy-resolved images corresponded approximately to minimization of the anatomical noise, which is commonly referred to as energy subtraction. In that case, an ideal-observer detectability index could be improved close to 50% compared to absorption imaging in the phantom study. Optimization with respect to the signal-to-quantum-noise ratio, commonly referred to as energy weighting, yielded only a minute improvement. In a simulation of a clinically more realistic case, spectral imaging was predicted to perform approximately 30% better than absorption imaging for an average glandularity breast with an average level of anatomical noise. For dense breast tissue and a high level of anatomical noise, however, a rise in detectability by a factor of 6 was predicted. Another {approx}70%-90% improvement was found to be within reach for an optimized system. Conclusions: Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography is feasible and beneficial with the current system, and there is room for additional improvements. Inclusion of anatomical noise is essential for optimizing spectral imaging systems.

  8. Mode-Selective Photon Counting Via Quantum Frequency Conversion Using Spectrally-Engineered Pump Pulses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manurkar, Paritosh

    phase of each spectral frequency from an optical frequency comb. The latter is generated using a cascaded configuration of phase and amplitude modulators. We characterize the mode selectivity using classical signals by arranging the six TMs into two orthogonal signal sets. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that mode selectivity is preserved if we use sub-photon signals (weak coherent light). Thus, this work supports the idea that QFC has the basic properties needed for advanced multi-dimensional quantum measurements given that we have demonstrated for the first time the ability to move to high dimensions (d=4), measure coherent superposition modes, and measure sub-photon signal levels. In addition to mode-selective photon counting, we also experimentally demonstrate a method of reshaping optical pulses based on QFC. Such a method has the potential to serve as the interface between quantum memories and the existing fiber infrastructure. At the same time, it can be employed in all-optical systems for optical signal regeneration.

  9. High-fidelity frequency down-conversion of visible entangled photon pairs with superconducting single-photon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikuta, Rikizo; Kato, Hiroshi; Kusaka, Yoshiaki; Yamamoto, Takashi; Imoto, Nobuyuki; Miki, Shigehito; Yamashita, Taro; Terai, Hirotaka; Wang, Zhen; Fujiwara, Mikio; Sasaki, Masahide; Koashi, Masato

    2014-01-01

    We experimentally demonstrate a high-fidelity visible-to-telecommunicationwavelength conversion of a photon by using a solid-state-based difference frequency generation. In the experiment, one half of a pico-second visible entangled photon pair at 780 nm is converted to a 1522-nm photon. Using superconducting single-photon detectors with low dark count rates and small timing jitters, we observed a fidelity of 0.93±0.04 after the wavelength conversion

  10. SiPM as photon counter for Cherenkov detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy, B.J.; Orth, H.; Schwarz, C.; Wilms, A.; Peters, K.

    2009-01-01

    Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are very new type of photon counting devices that show great promise to be used as detection device in combination with scintillators/ Cherenkov radiators. SiPM is essentially an avalanche photo-diode operated in limited Geiger mode. They have been considered as potential readout devices for DIRC counter of the PANDA detector which is one of the large experiment at FAIR- the new international facility to be built at GSI, Darmstadt. In addition, the potential use of SiPM includes medical diagnosis, fluorescence measurement and high energy physics experiments. The SiPM module is a photon counting device capable of low light level detection. It is essentially an opto-semiconductor device with excellent photon counting capability and possesses great advantages over the conventional PMTs because of low voltage operation and insensitivity to magnetic fields. In many of the high energy physics experiments, the photon sensors are required to operate in high magnetic fields precluding the use of conventional PMTs. This problem can be over come with the use of SiPMs. With this motivation in mind, we have developed a SiPM test facility and have tested several commercially available SiPM for their performance study and comparison with other photon counting devices

  11. Atomization efficiency and photon yield in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of single nanoparticles in an optical trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purohit, Pablo; Fortes, Francisco J.; Laserna, J. Javier

    2017-04-01

    Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was employed for investigating the influence of particle size on the dissociation efficiency and the absolute production of photons per mass unit of airborne solid graphite spheres under single-particle regime. Particles of average diameter of 400 nm were probed and compared with 2 μm particles. Samples were first catapulted into aerosol form and then secluded in an optical trap set by a 532 nm laser. Trap stability was quantified before subjecting particles to LIBS analysis. Fine alignment of the different lines comprising the optical catapulting-optical trapping-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument and tuning of excitation parameters conditioning the LIBS signal such as fluence and acquisition delay are described in detail with the ultimate goal of acquiring clear spectroscopic data on masses as low as 75 fg. The atomization efficiency and the photon yield increase as the particle size becomes smaller. Time-resolved plasma imaging studies were conducted to elucidate the mechanisms leading to particle disintegration and excitation.

  12. Single photon detection in a waveguide-coupled Ge-on-Si lateral avalanche photodiode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, Nicholas J D; Gehl, Michael; Derose, Christopher T; Starbuck, Andrew L; Pomerene, Andrew T; Lentine, Anthony L; Trotter, Douglas C; Davids, Paul S

    2017-07-10

    We examine gated-Geiger mode operation of an integrated waveguide-coupled Ge-on-Si lateral avalanche photodiode (APD) and demonstrate single photon detection at low dark count for this mode of operation. Our integrated waveguide-coupled APD is fabricated using a selective epitaxial Ge-on-Si growth process resulting in a separate absorption and charge multiplication (SACM) design compatible with our silicon photonics platform. Single photon detection efficiency and dark count rate is measured as a function of temperature in order to understand and optimize performance characteristics in this device. We report single photon detection of 5.27% at 1310 nm and a dark count rate of 534 kHz at 80 K for a Ge-on-Si single photon avalanche diode. Dark count rate is the lowest for a Ge-on-Si single photon detector in this range of temperatures while maintaining competitive detection efficiency. A jitter of 105 ps was measured for this device.

  13. Cascaded two-photon spectroscopy of Yb atoms with a transportable effusive atomic beam apparatus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Minsoo; Yoon, Tai Hyun [Department of Physics, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-02-15

    We present a transportable effusive atomic beam apparatus for cascaded two-photon spectroscopy of the dipole-forbidden transition (6s{sup 2} {sup 1}S{sub 0}{r_reversible} 6s7s {sup 1}S{sub 0}) of Yb atoms. An ohmic-heating effusive oven is designed to have a reservoir volume of 1.6 cm{sup 3} and a high degree of atomic beam collimation angle of 30 mrad. The new atomic beam apparatus allows us to detect the spontaneously cascaded two-photons from the 6s7s{sup 1}S{sub 0} state via the intercombination 6s6p{sup 3}P{sub 1} state with a high signal-to-noise ratio even at the temperature of 340 Degree-Sign C. This is made possible in our apparatus because of the enhanced atomic beam flux and superior detection solid angle.

  14. Photon- and electron-induced surface voltage in electron spectroscopies on ZnSe(0 0 1)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cantoni, M.; Bertacco, R.; Brambilla, A.; Ciccacci, F.

    2009-01-01

    The surface band bending in ZnSe(0 0 1), as a function of the temperature, is investigated both in the valence band (by photoemission) and in the conduction band (by inverse photoemission and absorbed current spectroscopies). Two different mechanisms are invoked for interpreting the experimental data: the band bending due to surface states, and the surface voltage induced by the incident beam. While the latter is well known in photoemission (surface photovoltage), we demonstrate the existence of a similar effect in inverse photoemission and absorbed current spectroscopies, induced by the incident electrons instead of photons. These results point to the importance of considering the surface voltage effect even in electron-in techniques for a correct evaluation of the band bending.

  15. A versatile optical microscope for time-dependent single-molecule and single-particle spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hao; Yang, Haw

    2018-03-01

    This work reports the design and implementation of a multi-function optical microscope for time-dependent spectroscopy on single molecules and single nanoparticles. It integrates the now-routine single-object measurements into one standalone platform so that no reconfiguration is needed when switching between different types of sample or spectroscopy modes. The illumination modes include evanescent field through total internal reflection, dark-field illumination, and epi-excitation onto a diffraction-limited spot suitable for confocal detection. The detection modes include spectrally resolved line imaging, wide-field imaging with dual-color capability, and two-color single-element photon-counting detection. The switch between different spectroscopy and data acquisition modes is fully automated and executed through computer programming. The capability of this microscope is demonstrated through selected proof-of-principle experiments.

  16. A versatile optical microscope for time-dependent single-molecule and single-particle spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hao; Yang, Haw

    2018-03-28

    This work reports the design and implementation of a multi-function optical microscope for time-dependent spectroscopy on single molecules and single nanoparticles. It integrates the now-routine single-object measurements into one standalone platform so that no reconfiguration is needed when switching between different types of sample or spectroscopy modes. The illumination modes include evanescent field through total internal reflection, dark-field illumination, and epi-excitation onto a diffraction-limited spot suitable for confocal detection. The detection modes include spectrally resolved line imaging, wide-field imaging with dual-color capability, and two-color single-element photon-counting detection. The switch between different spectroscopy and data acquisition modes is fully automated and executed through computer programming. The capability of this microscope is demonstrated through selected proof-of-principle experiments.

  17. Simulation of photon and charge transport in X-ray imaging semiconductor sensors

    CERN Document Server

    Nilsson, H E; Hjelm, M; Bertilsson, K

    2002-01-01

    A fully stochastic model for the imaging properties of X-ray silicon pixel detectors is presented. Both integrating and photon counting configurations have been considered, as well as scintillator-coated structures. The model is based on three levels of Monte Carlo simulations; photon transport and absorption using MCNP, full band Monte Carlo simulation of charge transport and system level Monte Carlo simulation of the imaging performance of the detector system. In the case of scintillator-coated detectors, the light scattering in the detector layers has been simulated using a Monte Carlo method. The image resolution was found to be much lower in scintillator-coated systems due to large light spread in thick scintillator layers. A comparison between integrating and photon counting readout methods shows that the image resolution can be slightly enhanced using a photon-counting readout. In addition, the proposed model has been used to study charge-sharing effects on the energy resolution in photon counting dete...

  18. AURORA on MEGSAT 1: a photon counting observatory for the Earth UV night-sky background and Aurora emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monfardini, A.; Trampus, P.; Stalio, R.; Mahne, N.; Battiston, R.; Menichelli, M.; Mazzinghi, P.

    2001-01-01

    A low-mass, low-cost photon-counting scientific payload has been developed and launched on a commercial microsatellite in order to study the near-UV night-sky background emission with a telescope nicknamed 'Notte' and the Aurora emission with 'Alba'. AURORA, this is the name of the experiment, will determine, with the 'Notte' channel, the overall night-side photon background in the 300-400 nm spectral range, together with a particular 2 + N 2 line (λ c =337 nm). The 'Alba' channel, on the other hand, will study the Aurora emissions in four different spectral bands (FWHM=8.4-9.6 nm) centered on: 367 nm (continuum evaluation), 391 nm (1 - N + 2 ), 535 nm (continuum evaluation), 560 nm (OI). The instrument has been launched on the 26 September, 2000 from the Baikonur cosmodrome on a modified SS18 Dnepr-1 'Satan' rocket. The satellite orbit is nearly circular (h apogee =648 km, e=0.0022), and the inclination of the orbital plane is 64.56 deg. An overview of the techniques adopted is given in this paper

  19. Mapping of the atomic hydrogen density in combustion processes at atmospheric pressure by two-photon polarization spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steiger, A.; Gruetzmacher, K.; Steiger, M.; Gonzalo, A.B.; Rosa, M.I. de la

    2001-01-01

    With laser spectroscopic techniques used so far, quantitative measurements of atomic number densities in flames and other combustion processes at atmospheric pressure yield no satisfying results because high quenching rates remarkably reduce the signal size and the results suffer from large uncertainties. Whereas, two-photon polarization spectroscopy is not limited by quenching, as the polarization signal is a direct measure of the two-photon absorption. This sensitive laser technique with high spatial and temporal resolution has been applied to determine absolute number densities and the kinetic temperatures of atomic hydrogen in flames for the first time. The great potential of this method of measurement comes into its own only in conjunction with laser radiation of highest possible spectral quality, i.e. single-frequency ns-pulses with peak irradiance of up to 1 GW/cm 2 tunable around 243 nm for 1S-2S two-photon transition of atomic hydrogen

  20. Gating circuit for single photon-counting fluorescence lifetime instruments using high repetition pulsed light sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laws, W.R.; Potter, D.W.; Sutherland, J.C.

    1984-01-01

    We have constructed a circuit that permits conventional timing electronics to be used in single photon-counting fluorimeters with high repetition rate excitation sources (synchrotrons and mode-locked lasers). Most commercial time-to-amplitude and time-to-digital converters introduce errors when processing very short time intervals and when subjected to high-frequency signals. This circuit reduces the frequency of signals representing the pulsed light source (stops) to the rate of detected fluorescence events (starts). Precise timing between the start/stop pair is accomplished by using the second stop pulse after a start pulse. Important features of our design are that the circuit is insensitive to the simultaneous occurrence of start and stop signals and that the reduction in the stop frequency allows the start/stop time interval to be placed in linear regions of the response functions of commercial timing electronics

  1. Free-running InGaAs single photon detector with 1 dark count per second at 10% efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korzh, B.; Walenta, N.; Lunghi, T.; Gisin, N.; Zbinden, H.

    2014-02-01

    We present a free-running single photon detector for telecom wavelengths based on a negative feedback avalanche photodiode (NFAD). A dark count rate as low as 1 cps was obtained at a detection efficiency of 10%, with an afterpulse probability of 2.2% for 20 μs of deadtime. This was achieved by using an active hold-off circuit and cooling the NFAD with a free-piston stirling cooler down to temperatures of -110 °C. We integrated two detectors into a practical, 625 MHz clocked quantum key distribution system. Stable, real-time key distribution in the presence of 30 dB channel loss was possible, yielding a secret key rate of 350 bps.

  2. Direct measurements of neutral density depletion by two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aanesland, A.; Liard, L.; Leray, G.; Jolly, J.; Chabert, P.

    2007-01-01

    The ground state density of xenon atoms has been measured by spatially resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy with two-photon excitation in the diffusion chamber of a magnetized Helicon plasma. This technique allows the authors to directly measure the relative variations of the xenon atom density without any assumptions. A significant neutral gas density depletion was measured in the core of the magnetized plasma, in agreement with previous theoretical and experimental works. It was also found that the neutral gas density was depleted near the radial walls

  3. Single-photon detector operating under extremely high background photon flux conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prochazka, Ivan; Sopko, Bruno; Blazej, Josef

    2009-01-01

    We are reporting our results in research and development in the field of avalanche semiconductor single-photon detectors and their application. Our goal was a development of a solid-state photon-counting detector capable of high-precision photon arrival time tagging in extremely harsh operating conditions. The background photon flux exceeding 10 9 photons per second hitting the detector active area should not avoid the useful signal detection and recognition on the signal level of units of photons per second. This is background photon flux about two orders of magnitude higher than what the conventional solid-state photon counters accept. The detection timing resolution should be better than 100 ps and the delay stability should be on picosecond level. We have developed and tested the active quenched and gated avalanche structure on silicon providing the required features in connection with the K14 detection chips. The detector is capable of gated operation under the conditions of background photon flux of 5x10 9 photons per second. The operational detector tolerates long term exposures to the input photon flux exceeding 10 15 photons (>1 mW) per second without damage.

  4. Transmitting more than 10 bit with a single photon

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tentrup, T.B.H.; Hummel, T.; Wolterink, T.A.W.; Uppu, R.; Mosk, Allard; Pinkse, P.W.H.

    2017-01-01

    Encoding information in the position of single photons has no known limits, given infinite resources. Using a heralded single-photon source and a spatial light modulator (SLM), we steer single photons to specific positions in a virtual grid on a large-area spatially resolving photon-counting

  5. A simulation study of high-resolution x-ray computed tomography imaging using irregular sampling with a photon-counting detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seungwan; Choi, Yu-Na; Kim, Hee-Joung

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to improve the spatial resolution for the x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging with a photon-counting detector using an irregular sampling method. The geometric shift-model of detector was proposed to produce the irregular sampling pattern and increase the number of samplings in the radial direction. The conventional micro-x-ray CT system and the novel system with the geometric shift-model of detector were simulated using analytic and Monte Carlo simulations. The projections were reconstructed using filtered back-projection (FBP), algebraic reconstruction technique (ART), and total variation (TV) minimization algorithms, and the reconstructed images were compared in terms of normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE), full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), and coefficient-of-variation (COV). The results showed that the image quality improved in the novel system with the geometric shift-model of detector, and the NRMSE, FWHM, and COV were lower for the images reconstructed using the TV minimization technique in the novel system with the geometric shift-model of detector. The irregular sampling method produced by the geometric shift-model of detector can improve the spatial resolution and reduce artifacts and noise for reconstructed images obtained from an x-ray CT system with a photon-counting detector. -- Highlights: • We proposed a novel sampling method based on a spiral pattern to improve the spatial resolution. • The novel sampling method increased the number of samplings in the radial direction. • The spatial resolution was improved by the novel sampling method

  6. Photon echo with a few photons in two-level atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonarota, M; Dajczgewand, J; Louchet-Chauvet, A; Le Gouët, J-L; Chanelière, T

    2014-01-01

    To store and retrieve signals at the single photon level, various photon echo schemes have resorted to complex preparation steps involving ancillary shelving states in multi-level atoms. For the first time, we experimentally demonstrate photon echo operation at such a low signal intensity without any preparation step, which allows us to work with mere two-level atoms. This simplified approach relies on the so-coined ‘revival of silenced echo’ (ROSE) scheme. Low noise conditions are obtained by returning the atoms to the ground state before the echo emission. In the present paper we manage ROSE in photon counting conditions, showing that very strong control fields can be compatible with extremely weak signals, making ROSE consistent with quantum memory requirements. (paper)

  7. Subsurface Scattered Photons: Friend or Foe? Improving visible light laser altimeter elevation estimates, and measuring surface properties using subsurface scattered photons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greeley, A.; Kurtz, N. T.; Neumann, T.; Cook, W. B.; Markus, T.

    2016-12-01

    Photon counting laser altimeters such as MABEL (Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar) - a single photon counting simulator for ATLAS (Advanced Topographical Laser Altimeter System) - use individual photons with visible wavelengths to measure their range to target surfaces. ATLAS, the sole instrument on NASA's upcoming ICESat-2 mission, will provide scientists a view of Earth's ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice with unprecedented detail. Precise calibration of these instruments is needed to understand rapidly changing parameters such as sea ice freeboard, and to measure optical properties of surfaces like snow covered ice sheets using subsurface scattered photons. Photons that travel through snow, ice, or water before scattering back to an altimeter receiving system travel farther than photons taking the shortest path between the observatory and the target of interest. These delayed photons produce a negative elevation bias relative to photons scattered directly off these surfaces. We use laboratory measurements of snow surfaces using a flight-tested laser altimeter (MABEL), and Monte Carlo simulations of backscattered photons from snow to estimate elevation biases from subsurface scattered photons. We also use these techniques to demonstrate the ability to retrieve snow surface properties like snow grain size.

  8. An x-ray-based capsule for colorectal cancer screening incorporating single photon counting technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lifshitz, Ronen; Kimchy, Yoav; Gelbard, Nir; Leibushor, Avi; Golan, Oleg; Elgali, Avner; Hassoon, Salah; Kaplan, Max; Smirnov, Michael; Shpigelman, Boaz; Bar-Ilan, Omer; Rubin, Daniel; Ovadia, Alex

    2017-03-01

    An ingestible capsule for colorectal cancer screening, based on ionizing-radiation imaging, has been developed and is in advanced stages of system stabilization and clinical evaluation. The imaging principle allows future patients using this technology to avoid bowel cleansing, and to continue the normal life routine during procedure. The Check-Cap capsule, or C-Scan ® Cap, imaging principle is essentially based on reconstructing scattered radiation, while both radiation source and radiation detectors reside within the capsule. The radiation source is a custom-made radioisotope encased in a small canister, collimated into rotating beams. While traveling along the human colon, irradiation occurs from within the capsule towards the colon wall. Scattering of radiation occurs both inside and outside the colon segment; some of this radiation is scattered back and detected by sensors onboard the capsule. During procedure, the patient receives small amounts of contrast agent as an addition to his/her normal diet. The presence of contrast agent inside the colon dictates the dominant physical processes to become Compton Scattering and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), which differ mainly by the energy of scattered photons. The detector readout electronics incorporates low-noise Single Photon Counting channels, allowing separation between the products of these different physical processes. Separating between radiation energies essentially allows estimation of the distance from the capsule to the colon wall, hence structural imaging of the intraluminal surface. This allows imaging of structural protrusions into the colon volume, especially focusing on adenomas that may develop into colorectal cancer.

  9. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and single photon emission CT in patients with olivopontocerebellar atrophy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikuta, Naomi

    1998-01-01

    Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRS) and single photon emission CT (SPECT), the cerebellum of patients with olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) and of age-matched control subjects was studied. A spectrum was collected from a 27 cm 3 (3 x 3 x 3 cm) voxel in the cerebellum containing white and gray matters in order to measure the distribution and relative signal intensities of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cre) and choline (Cho). In the cerebellum of the patients with OPCA, mean NAA/Cre ratios for OPCA patients were significantly decreased compared with normal control subjects (OPCA, 1.01±0.247; controls, 1.526±0.144: p<0.001). Mean NAA/Cho ratios for OPCA patients were slightly decreased (OPCA, 1.285±0.228; controls 1.702±0.469: p<0.06). Cho/Cre ratios valued in the cerebellum of OPCA patients were not significantly different from those in normal controls (OPCA, 0.793±0.186; controls, 0.946±0.219). The ratio of RI count in the cerebellum to that in the occipital lobe was significantly decreased in OPCA patients (OPCA, 0.947±0.096; controls, 1.06±0.063: p<0.01). Cerebellar signs were assessed including gait ataxia, limb ataxia, dysarthria, saccadic pursuit, and nystagmus separately or in combination. In patients with more severe ataxic gait and dysarthria, MRS revealed slightly lowered NAA/Cre ratio. There was no significant correlation between NAA/Cre ratio and severity of other clinical signs. The MRS and SPECT findings give a confirmative evidence of hypofunction in cerebellum of patients with OPCA. (author)

  10. CONTIN XPCS: Software for Inverse Transform Analysis of X-Ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy Dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Ross N; Narayanan, Suresh; Zhang, Fan; Kuzmenko, Ivan; Ilavsky, Jan

    2018-02-01

    X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) both reveal dynamics using coherent scattering, but X-rays permit investigating of dynamics in a much more diverse array of materials. Heterogeneous dynamics occur in many such materials, and we showed how classic tools employed in analysis of heterogeneous DLS dynamics extend to XPCS, revealing additional information that conventional Kohlrausch exponential fitting obscures. This work presents the software implementation of inverse transform analysis of XPCS data called CONTIN XPCS, an extension of traditional CONTIN that accommodates dynamics encountered in equilibrium XPCS measurements.

  11. Photon interrogation for bulk measurement of transuranic materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nieschmidt, E.B.

    1981-01-01

    Investigation and assay of high atomic number materials may be accomplished in near real-time through use of photon interrogation. Photon interrogation, as used here, involves the use of high-energy photons to induce fission and then detect neutrons associated with the fission. This technique has the advantage that the interrogating particle and the detected particle are different. The discussion here will include: (1) neutron production; (2) photon production; (3) neutron counting; (4) sensitivity; and (5) problems associated with large containers. In summary, the attributes and limitations of photon interrogation can be stated as: near real-time accountability; interrogating particle different than detected particle; ability to count prompt or delayed neutrons depending on matrix; radiography or therapy accelerators available; cannot distinguish between fission and fertile material; and interrogated material must be well characterized to obtain safeguards quality results

  12. CdTe Timepix detectors for single-photon spectroscopy and linear polarimetry of high-flux hard x-ray radiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hahn, C; Weber, G; Märtin, R; Höfer, S; Kämpfer, T; Stöhlker, Th

    2016-04-01

    Single-photon spectroscopy of pulsed, high-intensity sources of hard X-rays - such as laser-generated plasmas - is often hampered by the pileup of several photons absorbed by the unsegmented, large-volume sensors routinely used for the detection of high-energy radiation. Detectors based on the Timepix chip, with a segmentation pitch of 55 μm and the possibility to be equipped with high-Z sensor chips, constitute an attractive alternative to commonly used passive solutions such as image plates. In this report, we present energy calibration and characterization measurements of such devices. The achievable energy resolution is comparable to that of scintillators for γ spectroscopy. Moreover, we also introduce a simple two-detector Compton polarimeter setup with a polarimeter quality of (98 ± 1)%. Finally, a proof-of-principle polarimetry experiment is discussed, where we studied the linear polarization of bremsstrahlung emitted by a laser-driven plasma and found an indication of the X-ray polarization direction depending on the polarization state of the incident laser pulse.

  13. Photon correlation spectroscopy of classical and non-classical light fields and its debt to Glauber and Harvard

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pike, E.R.

    1985-01-01

    The Union Gikon Company of Japan has designed their new photon-correlation spectrometer to the outside world with the aid of a number of Japanese Universities and Industrial Research Laboratories. It comes with a list of some two dozen Japanese Institutions who have been using it successfully since its recent launch in their home country. The cost of the system is some $60,000 and it will no doubt, find its place in the market alongside existing well-known photon correlation systems such as those from Brookhaven Instruments Corporation, Hiac Royco, Coulter and Malvern Instruments. Although they may be used for other purposes, the main application of the instruments is the measurement of sizes of submicron particles such as proteins, enzymes, viruses, polymers and numerous other macro-molecular substances. A topical proposal, for example, is the detection of the immunological reactions of the AIDS virus. Photon correlation spectroscopy has become an important technique in modern laboratory practice

  14. Precision two-photon spectroscopy of alkali elements

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    effect is eliminated if the wave vector of the photons is ka = −kb, i.e., the two beams .... atomic cesium, and the metre is (indirectly) defined from the wavelength of .... plasma absorb radiation, the electrical circuit parameters may vary and this .... two-photon excitation followed by an ionization step in Ca [71], Sr [72] and Gd [73] ...

  15. Microspot two-photon photoemission spectroscopy for CuPc film on HOPG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, T.; Yamamoto, R.; Munakata, T.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Unoccupied levels of CuPc/HOPG are assigned by using 2PPE microspectroscopy. • Lateral distribution of unoccupied energy levels is imaged. • Modified IPS stabilized by the hole localized in the 2nd layer molecule is identified. - Abstract: Microspot two-photon photoemission (micro-2PPE) spectroscopy has been applied to measure the lateral distribution of unoccupied levels on copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) film on HOPG. In addition to the LUMO-derived level and the image potential state (IPS) on the film, we identified the modified IPS which is stabilized by the hole localized in a molecule. We show that modified IPS is observed only on bilayer area, reflecting the localization of the hole in a molecule. The modified IPS is absent on monolayer area, because the hole strongly interacts with substrate.

  16. Free-running InGaAs single photon detector with 1 dark count per second at 10% efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Korzh, B., E-mail: Boris.Korzh@unige.ch; Walenta, N.; Lunghi, T.; Gisin, N.; Zbinden, H. [Group of Applied Physics, University of Geneva, Chemin de Pinchat 22, CH-1211 Geneva 4 (Switzerland)

    2014-02-24

    We present a free-running single photon detector for telecom wavelengths based on a negative feedback avalanche photodiode (NFAD). A dark count rate as low as 1 cps was obtained at a detection efficiency of 10%, with an afterpulse probability of 2.2% for 20 μs of deadtime. This was achieved by using an active hold-off circuit and cooling the NFAD with a free-piston stirling cooler down to temperatures of −110 °C. We integrated two detectors into a practical, 625 MHz clocked quantum key distribution system. Stable, real-time key distribution in the presence of 30 dB channel loss was possible, yielding a secret key rate of 350 bps.

  17. The use of photon correlation spectroscopy method for determining diffusion coefficient in brine and herring flesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shumanova M.V.

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The process fish salting has been studied by the method of photon correlation spectroscopy; the distribution of salt concentration in the solution and herring flesh with skin has been found, diffusion coefficients and salt concentrations used for creating a mathematical model of the salting technology have been worked out; the possibility of determination by this method the coefficient of dynamic viscosity of solutions and different media (minced meat etc. has been considered

  18. Quantitative frequency-domain fluorescence spectroscopy in tissues and tissue-like media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerussi, Albert Edward

    1999-09-01

    ethidium bromide increases by an order of magnitude upon binding to DNA. In this thesis, I demonstrated that the fluorescence photon migration model is capable of accurately determining the somatic cell count (SCC) in a milk sample. Although meant as a demonstration of fluorescence tissue spectroscopy, this specific problem has important implications for the dairy industry's warfare against subclinical mastitis (i.e., mammary gland inflammation), since the SCC is often used as an indication of bovine infection.

  19. Nanodiamond Emitters of Single Photons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vlasov I.I.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Luminescence properties of single color centers were studied in nanodiamonds of different origin. It was found that single photon emitters could be realized even in molecularsized diamond (less than 2 nm capable of housing stable luminescent center “silicon-vacancy.” First results on incorporation of single-photon emitters based on luminescent nanodiamonds in plasmonic nanoantennas to enhance the photon count rate and directionality, diminish the fluorescence decay time, and provide polarization selectivity are presented.

  20. Ultrafast S1 and ICT state dynamics of a marine carotenoid probed by femtosecond one- and two-photon pump-probe spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kosumi, Daisuke; Kusumoto, Toshiyuki; Fujii, Ritsuko; Sugisaki, Mitsuru; Iinuma, Yoshiro; Oka, Naohiro; Takaesu, Yuki; Taira, Tomonori; Iha, Masahiko; Frank, Harry A.; Hashimoto, Hideki

    2011-01-01

    Ultrafast relaxation kinetics of fucoxanthin in polar and non-polar solvents have been studied by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. Transient absorption associated with S 1 or intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) excited state has been observed following either one-photon excitation to the optically allowed S 2 state or two-photon excitation to the symmetry-forbidden S 1 state. The results suggest that the ICT state formed after excitation of fucoxanthin in a polar solvent is a distinct excited state from S 1 .

  1. Development of wide-band, time and energy resolving, optical photon detectors with application to imaging astronomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, A.J.; Cabrera, B.; Romani, R.W.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Nam, S.W.; Clarke, R.M.

    2000-01-01

    Superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs) are showing promise for the wide-band spectroscopy of individual photons from the mid-infrared (IR), through the optical, and into the near ultraviolet (UV). Our TES sensors are ∼20 μm square, 40 nm thick tungsten (W) films with a transition temperature of about 80 mK. We typically attain an energy resolution of 0.15 eV FWHM over the optical range with relative timing resolution of 100 ns. Single photon events with sub-microsecond risetimes and few microsecond falltimes have been achieved allowing count rates in excess of 30 kHz per pixel. Additionally, tungsten is approximately 50% absorptive in the optical (dropping to 10% in the IR) giving these devices an intrinsically high quantum efficiency. These combined traits make our detectors attractive for fast spectrophotometers and photon-starved applications such as wide-band, time and energy resolved astronomical observations. We present recent results from our work toward the fabrication and testing of the first TES optical photon imaging arrays

  2. SU-C-206-01: Impact of Charge Sharing Effect On Sub-Pitch Resolution for CZT-Based Photon Counting CT Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, X; Cheng, Z; Deen, J; Peng, H [McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada); Xing, L [Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purposes: Photon counting CT is a new imaging technology that can provide tissue composition information such as calcium/iodine content quantification. Cadmium zinc telluride CZT is considered a good candidate the photon counting CT due to its relatively high atomic number and band gap. One potential challenge is the degradation of both spatial and energy resolution as the fine electrode pitch is deployed (<50 µm). We investigated the extent of charge sharing effect as functions of gap width, bias voltage and depth-of-interaction (DOI). Methods: The initial electron cloud size and diffusion process were modeled analytically. The valid range of charge sharing effect refers to the range over which both signals of adjacent electrodes are above the triggering threshold (10% of the amplitude of 60keV X-ray photons). The intensity ratios of output in three regions (I1/I2/I3: left pixel, gap area and right pixel) were calculated. With Gaussian white noises modeled (a SNR of 5 based upon the preliminary experiments), the sub-pitch resolution as a function of the spatial position in-between two pixels was studied. Results: The valid range of charge sharing increases linearly with depth-of-interaction (DOI) but decreases with gap width and bias voltage. For a 1.5mm thickness CZT detector (pitch: 50µm, bias: 400 V), the range increase from ∼90µm up to ∼110µm. Such an increase can be attributed to a longer travel distance and the associated electron cloud broadening. The achievable sub-pitch resolution is in the range of ∼10–30µm. Conclusion: The preliminary results demonstrate that sub-pixel spatial resolution can be achieved using the ratio of amplitudes of two neighboring pixels. Such ratio may also be used to correct charge loss and help improve energy resolution of a CZT detector. The impact of characteristic X-rays hitting adjacent pixels (i.e., multiple interaction) on charge sharing is currently being investigated.

  3. Measurement of effective detective quantum efficiency for a photon counting scanning mammography system and comparison with two flat panel full-field digital mammography systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Tim J.; Moore, Craig S.; Saunderson, John R.; Beavis, Andrew W.

    2018-01-01

    Effective detective quantum efficiency (eDQE) describes the resolution and noise properties of an imaging system along with scatter and primary transmission, all measured under clinically appropriate conditions. Effective dose efficiency (eDE) is the eDQE normalised to mean glandular dose and has been proposed as a useful metric for the optimisation of clinical imaging systems. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for measuring eDQE and eDE on a Philips microdose mammography (MDM) L30 photon counting scanning system, and to compare performance with two conventional flat panel systems. A custom made lead-blocker was manufactured to enable the accurate determination of dose measurements, and modulation transfer functions were determined free-in-air at heights of 2, 4 and 6 cm above the breast support platform. eDQE were calculated for a Philips MDM L30, Hologic Dimensions and Siemens Inspiration digital mammography system for 2, 4 and 6 cm thick poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The beam qualities (target/filter and kilovoltage) assessed were those selected by the automatic exposure control, and anti-scatter grids were used where available. Measurements of eDQE demonstrate significant differences in performance between the slit- and scan-directions for the photon counting imaging system. MTF has been shown to be the limiting factor in the scan-direction, which results in a rapid fall in eDQE at mid-to-high spatial frequencies. A comparison with two flat panel mammography systems demonstrates that this may limit image quality for small details, such as micro-calcifications, which correlates with a more conventional image quality assessment with the CDMAM phantom. eDE has shown the scanning photon counting system offers superior performance for low spatial frequencies, which will be important for the detection of large low contrast masses. Both eDQE and eDE are proposed as useful metrics that should enable optimisation of the Philips MDM L30.

  4. Photon-number discrimination without a photon counter and its application to reconstructing non-Gaussian states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrzanowski, H. M.; Bernu, J.; Sparkes, B. M.; Hage, B.; Lam, P. K.; Symul, T.; Lund, A. P.; Ralph, T. C.

    2011-01-01

    The nonlinearity of a conditional photon-counting measurement can be used to ''de-Gaussify'' a Gaussian state of light. Here we present and experimentally demonstrate a technique for photon-number resolution using only homodyne detection. We then apply this technique to inform a conditional measurement, unambiguously reconstructing the statistics of the non-Gaussian one- and two-photon-subtracted squeezed vacuum states. Although our photon-number measurement relies on ensemble averages and cannot be used to prepare non-Gaussian states of light, its high efficiency, photon-number-resolving capabilities, and compatibility with the telecommunications band make it suitable for quantum-information tasks relying on the outcomes of mean values.

  5. Correlated Photon Pair Generation in Silicon Wire Waveguides at 1.5 μm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng Jie-Rong; Zhang Wei; Zhou Qiang; Feng Xue; Huang Yi-Dong; Peng Jiang-De

    2010-01-01

    Correlated photon pairs at 1.5μm are generated in a silicon wire waveguide (SWW) with a length of only 1.6mm. Experimental results show that the single-side count rates on both sides increase quadratically with pump light, indicating that photons are generated from the spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) processes. The quantum correlation property of the generated photons is demonstrated by the ratio between coincident and accidental coincident count rates. The highest ratio measured at room temperature is to be about 19, showing that generated photon pairs have strong quantum correlation property and low noise. What is more, the wavelength correlation property of the coincident count is also measured to demonstrate the correlated photon pair generation. The experimental results demonstrate that SWWs have great potential in on-chip integrated low-noise correlated photon pair sources at 1.5 μm. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

  6. AURORA on MEGSAT 1 a photon counting observatory for the Earth UV night-sky background and Aurora emission

    CERN Document Server

    Monfardini, A; Stalio, R; Mahne, N; Battiston, R; Menichelli, M; Mazzinghi, P

    2001-01-01

    A low-mass, low-cost photon-counting scientific payload has been developed and launched on a commercial microsatellite in order to study the near-UV night-sky background emission with a telescope nicknamed 'Notte' and the Aurora emission with 'Alba'. AURORA, this is the name of the experiment, will determine, with the 'Notte' channel, the overall night-side photon background in the 300-400 nm spectral range, together with a particular 2 sup + N sub 2 line (lambda sub c =337 nm). The 'Alba' channel, on the other hand, will study the Aurora emissions in four different spectral bands (FWHM=8.4-9.6 nm) centered on: 367 nm (continuum evaluation), 391 nm (1 sup - N sup + sub 2), 535 nm (continuum evaluation), 560 nm (OI). The instrument has been launched on the 26 September, 2000 from the Baikonur cosmodrome on a modified SS18 Dnepr-1 'Satan' rocket. The satellite orbit is nearly circular (h sub a sub p sub o sub g sub e sub e =648 km, e=0.0022), and the inclination of the orbital plane is 64.56 deg. An overview of...

  7. Hanford whole body counting manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmer, H.E.; Brim, C.P.; Rieksts, G.A.; Rhoads, M.C.

    1987-05-01

    This document, a reprint of the Whole Body Counting Manual, was compiled to train personnel, document operation procedures, and outline quality assurance procedures. The current manual contains information on: the location, availability, and scope of services of Hanford's whole body counting facilities; the administrative aspect of the whole body counting operation; Hanford's whole body counting facilities; the step-by-step procedure involved in the different types of in vivo measurements; the detectors, preamplifiers and amplifiers, and spectroscopy equipment; the quality assurance aspect of equipment calibration and recordkeeping; data processing, record storage, results verification, report preparation, count summaries, and unit cost accounting; and the topics of minimum detectable amount and measurement accuracy and precision. 12 refs., 13 tabs

  8. Characterisation of a single photon counting pixel system for imaging of low-contrast objects

    CERN Document Server

    Mikulec, B; Dipasquale, G; Schwarz, C; Watt, J

    2001-01-01

    In the framework of the Medipix collaboration the PCC, a single photon counting pixel chip, has been developed with the aim of improving the contrast resolution in medical imaging applications. The PCC consists of a matrix of 64x64 square pixels with 170 mm side length, each pixel comprising a 15 bit counter and a pulse height discriminator. The chip has been bump bonded to equally segmented 200 mm thick SI-LEC GaAs detectors showing a very high absorption energy for X-rays used in diagnostics. An absolute calibration of the system with a radioactive source and a synchrotron beam are described resulting in the value of the test input capacitance of ~24.7 fF. Using this value a full characterisation of the system from electrical measurements is presented. The entire system can reach a minimum threshold of ~2100 e- with ~250e- rms noise. One of the characteristics of the PCC is the possibility to adjust the thresholds of all pixels on a pixel-by-pixel basis with 3-bit precision. The threshold distribution after...

  9. Interaction of VUV-photons with molecules. Spectroscopy and dynamics of molecular superexcited states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatano, Y.

    2002-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. A survey is given of recent progress in experimental studies of the interaction of VUV-photons with molecules, i.e., those of photoabsorption, photoionization, and photodissociation of molecules in the excitation photon energy range of 10-50 eV, with a particular emphasis placed on current understanding of the spectroscopy and dynamics of formed molecular superexcited states. These studies are of great importance in understanding the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter. Molecules studied are ranged from simple diatomic and triatomic molecules to polyatomic molecules such as hydrocarbons. Most of the observed molecular superexcited states are assigned to high Rydber states which are vibrationally, doubly, or inner-core excited and converge to each of ion states. Non-Rydberg superexcited states are also observed. Dissociation into neutral fragments in comparison with ionization is of unexpectedly great importance in the observed decay of each of these state-assigned superexcited molecules. Dissociation dynamics as well as its products of superexcited states are remarkably different from those of lower excited states below about ionization thresholds. Some remarks are also presented of molecules in the condensed phase

  10. Development of windows based software to analyze fluorescence decay with time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) setup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mallick, M.B.; Ravindranath, S.V.G.; Das, N.C.

    2002-07-01

    A VUV spectroscopic facility for studies in photophysics and photochemistry is being set up at INDUS-I synchrotron source, CAT, Indore. For this purpose, a data acquisition system based on time-correlated single photon counting method is being developed for fluorescence lifetime measurement. To estimate fluorescence lifetime from the data collected with this sytem, a Windows based program has been developed using Visual Basic 5.0. It uses instrument response function (IRF) and observed decay curve and estimates parameters of single exponential decay by least square analysis and Marquardt method as convergence mechanism. Estimation of parameters was performed using data collected with a commercial setup. Goodness of fit was judged by evaluating χR 2 , weighted residuals and autocorrelation function. Performance is compared with two commercial software packages and found to be satisfactory. (author)

  11. Photon-number discrimination without a photon counter and its application to reconstructing non-Gaussian states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chrzanowski, H. M.; Bernu, J.; Sparkes, B. M.; Hage, B.; Lam, P. K.; Symul, T. [Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, Quantum Optics group, Department of Quantum Science, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200 (Australia); Lund, A. P. [Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111 (Australia); Ralph, T. C. [Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, Department of Physics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia QLD 4072 (Australia)

    2011-11-15

    The nonlinearity of a conditional photon-counting measurement can be used to ''de-Gaussify'' a Gaussian state of light. Here we present and experimentally demonstrate a technique for photon-number resolution using only homodyne detection. We then apply this technique to inform a conditional measurement, unambiguously reconstructing the statistics of the non-Gaussian one- and two-photon-subtracted squeezed vacuum states. Although our photon-number measurement relies on ensemble averages and cannot be used to prepare non-Gaussian states of light, its high efficiency, photon-number-resolving capabilities, and compatibility with the telecommunications band make it suitable for quantum-information tasks relying on the outcomes of mean values.

  12. Fast-ICCD photography and gated photon counting measurements of blackbody emission from particulates generated in the KrF-laser ablation of BN and YBCO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geohegan, D.B.

    1992-11-01

    Fast intensified CCD photography and gated photon counting following KrF-laser irradiation of YBCO and BN targets reveals the first observations of very weak emission from slow-moving ejecta up to 2 cm from the target and times extending to {approx}1.5 ms. Time-of-flight velocities inferred from the emission measurements indicate velocities (v {approximately} (0.45--1.2) {times} 10{sup 4} cm s{sup {minus}1}) comparable to those measured for the large particles which often accompany the pulsed laser deposition process. Gated photon counting is employed to obtain temporally resolved spectra of this weak emission. The spectral shape is characteristic of blackbody emission, which shifts to longer wavelengths as the particles cool during flight in vacuum. Estimates of the temperature of the particles are made based on the emissivity of a perfect blackbody and range from 2200 K to 3200 K for both BN and YBCO when irradiated at ({Phi}{sub 248} = 3.5 J cm{sup {minus}2} and 1.5 J cm{sup {minus}2}, respectively. The temperature decrease of the particles in vacuum is compared to a radiative cooling model which gives estimates of the initial surface temperature and radii of the particles.

  13. One-photon mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) spectroscopy of pyridine: Determination of accurate ionization energy and cationic structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Yu Ran; Kang, Do Won; Kim, Hong Lae, E-mail: chkwon@kangwon.ac.kr, E-mail: hlkim@kangwon.ac.kr; Kwon, Chan Ho, E-mail: chkwon@kangwon.ac.kr, E-mail: hlkim@kangwon.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry and Institute for Molecular Science and Fusion Technology, College of Natural Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 200-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-11-07

    Ionization energies and cationic structures of pyridine were intensively investigated utilizing one-photon mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) spectroscopy with vacuum ultraviolet radiation generated by four-wave difference frequency mixing in Kr. The present one-photon high-resolution MATI spectrum of pyridine demonstrated a much finer and richer vibrational structure than that of the previously reported two-photon MATI spectrum. From the MATI spectrum and photoionization efficiency curve, the accurate ionization energy of the ionic ground state of pyridine was confidently determined to be 73 570 ± 6 cm{sup −1} (9.1215 ± 0.0007 eV). The observed spectrum was almost completely assigned by utilizing Franck-Condon factors and vibrational frequencies calculated through adjustments of the geometrical parameters of cationic pyridine at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level. A unique feature unveiled through rigorous analysis was the prominent progression of the 10 vibrational mode, which corresponds to in-plane ring bending, and the combination of other totally symmetric fundamentals with the ring bending overtones, which contribute to the geometrical change upon ionization. Notably, the remaining peaks originate from the upper electronic state ({sup 2}A{sub 2}), as predicted by high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy studies and symmetry-adapted cluster configuration interaction calculations. Based on the quantitatively good agreement between the experimental and calculated results, it was concluded that upon ionization the pyridine cation in the ground electronic state should have a planar structure of C{sub 2v} symmetry through the C-N axis.

  14. 65Zn and 133Ba standardizing by photon-photon coincidence counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loureiro, Jamir S.; Cruz, Paulo A.L. da; Iwahara, Akira; Delgado, José U.; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2017-01-01

    The LNMRI/Brazil has deployed a system using X-gamma coincidence technique for the standardizing radionuclide, which present simple and complex decay scheme with X-rays of energy below 100 keV. The work was carried on radionuclide metrology laboratory using a sodium iodide detector, for gamma photons, in combination with a high purity germanium detector for X-rays. Samples of 65 Zn and 133 Ba were standardized and the results for both radionuclides showed good precision and accuracy when compared with reference values. The standardization differences were 0.72 % for 65 Zn and 0.48 % for 133 Ba samples. (author)

  15. 65Zn and 133Ba standardizing by photon-photon coincidence counting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loureiro, Jamir S.; da Cruz, Paulo A. L.; Iwahara, Akira; Delgado, José U.; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2018-03-01

    The LNMRI/Brazil has deployed a system using X-gamma coincidence technique for the standardizing radionuclide, which present simple and complex decay scheme with X-rays of energy below 100 keV. The work was carried on radionuclide metrology laboratory using a sodium iodide detector, for gamma photons, in combination with a high purity germanium detector for X-rays. Samples of 65Zn and 133Ba were standardized and the results for both radionuclides showed good precision and accuracy when compared with reference values. The standardization differences were 0.72 % for 65Zn and 0.48 % for 133Ba samples.

  16. Ideal-observer detectability in photon-counting differential phase-contrast imaging using a linear-systems approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fredenberg, Erik; Danielsson, Mats; Stayman, J. Webster; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey H.; Aslund, Magnus [Research and Development, Philips Women' s Healthcare, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna, Sweden and Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 (United States); Research and Development, Philips Women' s Healthcare, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna (Sweden)

    2012-09-15

    Purpose: To provide a cascaded-systems framework based on the noise-power spectrum (NPS), modulation transfer function (MTF), and noise-equivalent number of quanta (NEQ) for quantitative evaluation of differential phase-contrast imaging (Talbot interferometry) in relation to conventional absorption contrast under equal-dose, equal-geometry, and, to some extent, equal-photon-economy constraints. The focus is a geometry for photon-counting mammography. Methods: Phase-contrast imaging is a promising technology that may emerge as an alternative or adjunct to conventional absorption contrast. In particular, phase contrast may increase the signal-difference-to-noise ratio compared to absorption contrast because the difference in phase shift between soft-tissue structures is often substantially larger than the absorption difference. We have developed a comprehensive cascaded-systems framework to investigate Talbot interferometry, which is a technique for differential phase-contrast imaging. Analytical expressions for the MTF and NPS were derived to calculate the NEQ and a task-specific ideal-observer detectability index under assumptions of linearity and shift invariance. Talbot interferometry was compared to absorption contrast at equal dose, and using either a plane wave or a spherical wave in a conceivable mammography geometry. The impact of source size and spectrum bandwidth was included in the framework, and the trade-off with photon economy was investigated in some detail. Wave-propagation simulations were used to verify the analytical expressions and to generate example images. Results: Talbot interferometry inherently detects the differential of the phase, which led to a maximum in NEQ at high spatial frequencies, whereas the absorption-contrast NEQ decreased monotonically with frequency. Further, phase contrast detects differences in density rather than atomic number, and the optimal imaging energy was found to be a factor of 1.7 higher than for absorption

  17. Ideal-observer detectability in photon-counting differential phase-contrast imaging using a linear-systems approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fredenberg, Erik; Danielsson, Mats; Stayman, J. Webster; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey H.; Åslund, Magnus

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: To provide a cascaded-systems framework based on the noise-power spectrum (NPS), modulation transfer function (MTF), and noise-equivalent number of quanta (NEQ) for quantitative evaluation of differential phase-contrast imaging (Talbot interferometry) in relation to conventional absorption contrast under equal-dose, equal-geometry, and, to some extent, equal-photon-economy constraints. The focus is a geometry for photon-counting mammography. Methods: Phase-contrast imaging is a promising technology that may emerge as an alternative or adjunct to conventional absorption contrast. In particular, phase contrast may increase the signal-difference-to-noise ratio compared to absorption contrast because the difference in phase shift between soft-tissue structures is often substantially larger than the absorption difference. We have developed a comprehensive cascaded-systems framework to investigate Talbot interferometry, which is a technique for differential phase-contrast imaging. Analytical expressions for the MTF and NPS were derived to calculate the NEQ and a task-specific ideal-observer detectability index under assumptions of linearity and shift invariance. Talbot interferometry was compared to absorption contrast at equal dose, and using either a plane wave or a spherical wave in a conceivable mammography geometry. The impact of source size and spectrum bandwidth was included in the framework, and the trade-off with photon economy was investigated in some detail. Wave-propagation simulations were used to verify the analytical expressions and to generate example images. Results: Talbot interferometry inherently detects the differential of the phase, which led to a maximum in NEQ at high spatial frequencies, whereas the absorption-contrast NEQ decreased monotonically with frequency. Further, phase contrast detects differences in density rather than atomic number, and the optimal imaging energy was found to be a factor of 1.7 higher than for absorption

  18. Thermoelectric single-photon detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuzanyan, A A; Petrosyan, V A; Kuzanyan, A S

    2012-01-01

    The ability to detect a single photon is the ultimate level of sensitivity in the measurement of optical radiation. Sensors capable of detecting single photons and determining their energy have many scientific and technological applications. Kondo-enhanced Seebeck effect cryogenic detectors are based on thermoelectric heat-to-voltage conversion and voltage readout. We evaluate the prospects of CeB 6 and (La,Ce)B 6 hexaboride crystals for their application as a sensitive element in this type of detectors. We conclude that such detectors can register a single UV photon, have a fast count rate (up to 45 MHz) and a high spectral resolution of 0.1 eV. We calculate the electric potential generated along the thermoelectric sensor upon registering a UV single photon.

  19. Speckle imaging with the PAPA detector. [Precision Analog Photon Address

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papaliolios, C.; Nisenson, P.; Ebstein, S.

    1985-01-01

    A new 2-D photon-counting camera, the PAPA (precision analog photon address) detector has been built, tested, and used successfully for the acquisition of speckle imaging data. The camera has 512 x 512 pixels and operates at count rates of at least 200,000/sec. In this paper, technical details on the camera are presented and some of the laboratory and astronomical results are included which demonstrate the detector's capabilities.

  20. Ultrafast S{sub 1} and ICT state dynamics of a marine carotenoid probed by femtosecond one- and two-photon pump-probe spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kosumi, Daisuke, E-mail: kosumi@sci.osaka-cu.ac.j [CREST/JST and Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Kusumoto, Toshiyuki [CREST/JST and Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Fujii, Ritsuko; Sugisaki, Mitsuru [CREST/JST and Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Osaka City University Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka (Japan); Iinuma, Yoshiro; Oka, Naohiro; Takaesu, Yuki; Taira, Tomonori; Iha, Masahiko [South Product Co. Ltd., 12-75 Suzaki, Uruma-shi, Okinawa 904-2234 (Japan); Frank, Harry A. [Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3060 (United States); Hashimoto, Hideki, E-mail: hassy@sci.osaka-cu.ac.j [CREST/JST and Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Osaka City University Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka (Japan)

    2011-03-15

    Ultrafast relaxation kinetics of fucoxanthin in polar and non-polar solvents have been studied by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. Transient absorption associated with S{sub 1} or intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) excited state has been observed following either one-photon excitation to the optically allowed S{sub 2} state or two-photon excitation to the symmetry-forbidden S{sub 1} state. The results suggest that the ICT state formed after excitation of fucoxanthin in a polar solvent is a distinct excited state from S{sub 1}.

  1. Imaging performance comparison between a LaBr3: Ce scintillator based and a CdTe semiconductor based photon counting compact gamma camera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, P; Mettivier, G; Pani, R; Pellegrini, R; Cinti, M N; Bennati, P

    2009-04-01

    The authors report on the performance of two small field of view, compact gamma cameras working in single photon counting in planar imaging tests at 122 and 140 keV. The first camera is based on a LaBr3: Ce scintillator continuous crystal (49 x 49 x 5 mm3) assembled with a flat panel multianode photomultiplier tube with parallel readout. The second one belongs to the class of semiconductor hybrid pixel detectors, specifically, a CdTe pixel detector (14 x 14 x 1 mm3) with 256 x 256 square pixels and a pitch of 55 microm, read out by a CMOS single photon counting integrated circuit of the Medipix2 series. The scintillation camera was operated with selectable energy window while the CdTe camera was operated with a single low-energy detection threshold of about 20 keV, i.e., without energy discrimination. The detectors were coupled to pinhole or parallel-hole high-resolution collimators. The evaluation of their overall performance in basic imaging tasks is presented through measurements of their detection efficiency, intrinsic spatial resolution, noise, image SNR, and contrast recovery. The scintillation and CdTe cameras showed, respectively, detection efficiencies at 122 keV of 83% and 45%, intrinsic spatial resolutions of 0.9 mm and 75 microm, and total background noises of 40.5 and 1.6 cps. Imaging tests with high-resolution parallel-hole and pinhole collimators are also reported.

  2. Photoelectron photoion molecular beam spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trevor, D.J.

    1980-12-01

    The use of supersonic molecular beams in photoionization mass spectroscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy to assist in the understanding of photoexcitation in the vacuum ultraviolet is described. Rotational relaxation and condensation due to supersonic expansion were shown to offer new possibilities for molecular photoionization studies. Molecular beam photoionization mass spectroscopy has been extended above 21 eV photon energy by the use of Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) facilities. Design considerations are discussed that have advanced the state-of-the-art in high resolution vuv photoelectron spectroscopy. To extend gas-phase studies to 160 eV photon energy, a windowless vuv-xuv beam line design is proposed

  3. Infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy of alkali metal cation-cyclen complexes: Effects of alkali metal cation size on gas-phase conformation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Austin, C.A.; Chen, Y.; Kaczan, C.M.; Berden, G.; Oomens, J.; Rodgers, M.T.

    2013-01-01

    The gas-phase structures of alkali metal cationized complexes of cyclen (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) are examined via infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy and electronic structure theory calculations. The measured IRMPD action spectra of four M+(cyclen) complexes are

  4. Properties of entangled photon pairs generated in one-dimensional nonlinear photonic-band-gap structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perina, Jan Jr.; Centini, Marco; Sibilia, Concita; Bertolotti, Mario; Scalora, Michael

    2006-01-01

    We have developed a rigorous quantum model of spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a nonlinear 1D photonic-band-gap structure based upon expansion of the field into monochromatic plane waves. The model provides a two-photon amplitude of a created photon pair. The spectra of the signal and idler fields, their intensity profiles in the time domain, as well as the coincidence-count interference pattern in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer are determined both for cw and pulsed pumping regimes in terms of the two-photon amplitude. A broad range of parameters characterizing the emitted down-converted fields can be used. As an example, a structure composed of 49 layers of GaN/AlN is analyzed as a suitable source of photon pairs having high efficiency

  5. High Throughput, High Yield Fabrication of High Quantum Efficiency Back-Illuminated Photon Counting, Far UV, UV, and Visible Detector Arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikzad, Shouleh; Hoenk, M. E.; Carver, A. G.; Jones, T. J.; Greer, F.; Hamden, E.; Goodsall, T.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we discuss the high throughput end-to-end post fabrication processing of high performance delta-doped and superlattice-doped silicon imagers for UV, visible, and NIR applications. As an example, we present our results on far ultraviolet and ultraviolet quantum efficiency (QE) in a photon counting, detector array. We have improved the QE by nearly an order of magnitude over microchannel plates (MCPs) that are the state-of-the-art UV detectors for many NASA space missions as well as defense applications. These achievements are made possible by precision interface band engineering of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD).

  6. Quantitative spectral K-edge imaging in preclinical photon-counting x-ray computed tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, Anke; Roessl, Ewald; Kneepkens, Esther; Thran, Axel; Brendel, Bernhard; Martens, Gerhard; Proska, Roland; Nicolay, Klaas; Grüll, Holger

    2015-04-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and the accuracy of spectral computed tomography (spectral CT) to determine the tissue concentrations and localization of high-attenuation, iodine-based contrast agents in mice. Iodine tissue concentrations determined with spectral CT are compared with concentrations measured with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). All animal procedures were performed according to the US National Institutes of Health principles of laboratory animal care and were approved by the ethical review committee of Maastricht, The Netherlands. Healthy Swiss mice (n = 4) were injected with an iodinated emulsion radiolabeled with indium as multimodal contrast agent for CT and SPECT. The CT and SPECT scans were acquired using a dedicated small-animal SPECT/CT system. Subsequently, scans were performed with a preclinical spectral CT scanner equipped with a photon-counting detector and 6 energy threshold levels. Quantitative data analysis of SPECT and spectral CT scans were obtained using 3-dimensional volumes-of-interest drawing methods. The ICP-MS on dissected organs was performed to determine iodine uptake per organ and was compared with the amounts determined from spectral CT and SPECT. Iodine concentrations obtained with image-processed spectral CT data correlated well with data obtained either with noninvasive SPECT imaging (slope = 0.96, r = 0.75) or with ICP-MS (slope = 0.99, r = 0.89) in tissue samples. This preclinical proof-of-concept study shows the in vivo quantification of iodine concentrations in tissues using spectral CT. Our multimodal imaging approach with spectral CT and SPECT using radiolabeled iodinated emulsions together with ICP-based quantification allows a direct comparison of all methods. Benchmarked against ICP-MS data, spectral CT in the present implementation shows a slight underestimation of organ iodine concentrations compared

  7. Slow Aging Dynamics and Avalanches in a Gold-Cadmium Alloy Investigated by X-Ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, L.; Waldorf, M.; Klemradt, U.; Gutt, C.; Gruebel, G.; Madsen, A.; Finlayson, T. R.

    2011-01-01

    Results of a x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy experiment on the very weakly first order martensitic transformation of a Au 50.5 Cd 49.5 single crystal are presented. Slow non-equilibrium-dynamics are observed in a narrow temperature interval in the direct vicinity of the otherwise athermal phase transformation. These dynamics are associated with the martensite-aging effect. The dynamical aging is accompanied by an avalanchelike behavior which is identified with an incubation-time phenomenon.

  8. Slow aging dynamics and avalanches in a gold-cadmium alloy investigated by x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, L; Waldorf, M; Gutt, C; Grübel, G; Madsen, A; Finlayson, T R; Klemradt, U

    2011-09-02

    Results of a x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy experiment on the very weakly first order martensitic transformation of a Au50.5Cd49.5 single crystal are presented. Slow non-equilibrium-dynamics are observed in a narrow temperature interval in the direct vicinity of the otherwise athermal phase transformation. These dynamics are associated with the martensite-aging effect. The dynamical aging is accompanied by an avalanchelike behavior which is identified with an incubation-time phenomenon.

  9. Two-photon laser spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium and the antiproton-to-electron mass ratio

    CERN Document Server

    Hori, Masaki; Barna, Daniel; Andreas Dax,; Hayano, Ryugo; Friedreich, Susanne; Juhász, Bertalan; Pask, Thomas; Widmann, Eberhard; Horváth, Dezső; Venturelli, Luca; Zurlo, Nicola; 10.1038/nature10260

    2013-01-01

    Physical laws are believed to be invariant under the combined transformations of charge, parity and time reversal (CPT symmetry). This implies that an antimatter particle has exactly the same mass and absolute value of charge as its particle counterpart. Metastable antiprotonic helium ($\\bar{p}He^+$) is a three-body atom2 consisting of a normal helium nucleus, an electron in its ground state and an antiproton ($\\bar{p}$) occupying a Rydberg state with high principal and angular momentum quantum numbers, respectively n and l, such that n ≈ l + 1 ≈ 38. These atoms are amenable to precision laser spectroscopy, the results of which can in principle be used to determine the antiproton-to-electron mass ratio and to constrain the equality between the antiproton and proton charges and masses. Here we report two-photon spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium, in which $\\bar{p}^{3}He^{+}$ and $\\bar{p}^{4}He^{+}$ isotopes are irradiated by two counter-propagating laser beams. This excites nonlinear, two-phot...

  10. Photonic crystal fiber based antibody detection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duval, A; Lhoutellier, M; Jensen, J B

    2004-01-01

    An original approach for detecting labeled antibodies based on strong penetration photonic crystal fibers is introduced. The target antibody is immobilized inside the air-holes of a photonic crystal fiber and the detection is realized by the means of evanescent-wave fluorescence spectroscopy...

  11. On-chip photonic particle sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Robin; Ma, Danhao; Agarwal, Anu; Anthony, Brian

    2018-02-01

    We propose an on-chip photonic particle sensor design that can perform particle sizing and counting for various environmental applications. The sensor is based on micro photonic ring resonators that are able to detect the presence of the free space particles through the interaction with their evanescent electric field tail. The sensor can characterize a wide range of the particle size ranging from a few nano meters to micron ( 1 micron). The photonic platform offers high sensitivity, compactness, fast response of the device. Further, FDTD simulations are performed to analyze different particle-light interactions. Such a compact and portable platform, packaged with integrated photonic circuit provides a useful sensing modality in space shuttle and environmental applications.

  12. Frequency-Modulated, Continuous-Wave Laser Ranging Using Photon-Counting Detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erkmen, Baris I.; Barber, Zeb W.; Dahl, Jason

    2014-01-01

    Optical ranging is a problem of estimating the round-trip flight time of a phase- or amplitude-modulated optical beam that reflects off of a target. Frequency- modulated, continuous-wave (FMCW) ranging systems obtain this estimate by performing an interferometric measurement between a local frequency- modulated laser beam and a delayed copy returning from the target. The range estimate is formed by mixing the target-return field with the local reference field on a beamsplitter and detecting the resultant beat modulation. In conventional FMCW ranging, the source modulation is linear in instantaneous frequency, the reference-arm field has many more photons than the target-return field, and the time-of-flight estimate is generated by balanced difference- detection of the beamsplitter output, followed by a frequency-domain peak search. This work focused on determining the maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation algorithm when continuous-time photoncounting detectors are used. It is founded on a rigorous statistical characterization of the (random) photoelectron emission times as a function of the incident optical field, including the deleterious effects caused by dark current and dead time. These statistics enable derivation of the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRB) on the accuracy of FMCW ranging, and derivation of the ML estimator, whose performance approaches this bound at high photon flux. The estimation algorithm was developed, and its optimality properties were shown in simulation. Experimental data show that it performs better than the conventional estimation algorithms used. The demonstrated improvement is a factor of 1.414 over frequency-domainbased estimation. If the target interrogating photons and the local reference field photons are costed equally, the optimal allocation of photons between these two arms is to have them equally distributed. This is different than the state of the art, in which the local field is stronger than the target return. The optimal

  13. Note: Space qualified photon counting detector for laser time transfer with picosecond precision and stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prochazka, Ivan; Kodet, Jan; Blazej, Josef

    2016-05-01

    The laser time transfer link is under construction for the European Space Agency in the frame of Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space. We have developed and tested the flying unit of the photon counting detector optimized for this space mission. The results are summarized in this Note. An extreme challenge was to build a detector package, which is rugged, small and which provides long term detection delay stability on picosecond level. The device passed successfully all the tests required for space missions on the low Earth orbits. The detector is extremely rugged and compact. Its long term detection delay stability is excellent, it is better than ±1 ps/day, in a sense of time deviation it is better than 0.5 ps for averaging times of 2000 s to several hours. The device is capable to operate in a temperature range of -55 °C up to +60 °C, the change of the detection delay with temperature is +0.5 ps/K. The device is ready for integration into the space structure now.

  14. Conceptual basis of resonance ionization spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Payne, M.G.

    1984-04-01

    Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (RIS) can b defined as a state-selective detection process in which tunable lasers are used to promote transitions from the selected state of the atoms or molecules in question to higher states, one of which will be ionized by the absorption of another photon. At least one resonance step is used in the stepwise ionization process, and it has been shown that the ionization probability of the spectroscopically selected species can nearly always be made close to unity. Since measurements of the number of photoelectrons or ions can be made very precisely and even one electron (or under vacuum conditions, one ion) can be detected, the technique can be used to make quantitative measurements of very small populations of the state-selected species. Counting of individual atoms has special meaning for detection of rare events. The ability to make saturated RIS measurements opens up a wide variety of applications to both basic and applied research. We view RIS as a specific type of multi-photon ionization in which the goal is to make quantitative measurements of quantum-selected populations in atomic or molecular systems. 16 references

  15. Preliminary evaluation of a novel energy-resolved photon-counting gamma ray detector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, L-J; Tan, J W; Spartiotis, K; Schulman, T

    2009-06-11

    In this paper, we present the design and preliminary performance evaluation of a novel energy-resolved photon-counting (ERPC) detector for gamma ray imaging applications. The prototype ERPC detector has an active area of 4.4 cm × 4.4 cm, which is pixelated into 128 × 128 square pixels with a pitch size of 350 µm × 350µm. The current detector consists of multiple detector hybrids, each with a CdTe crystal of 1.1 cm × 2.2 cm × 1 mm, bump-bonded onto a custom-designed application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ERPC ASIC has 2048 readout channels arranged in a 32 × 64 array. Each channel is equipped with pre- and shaping-amplifiers, a discriminator, peak/hold circuitry and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for digitizing the signal amplitude. In order to compensate for the pixel-to-pixel variation, two 8-bit digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are implemented into each channel for tuning the gain and offset. The ERPC detector is designed to offer a high spatial resolution, a wide dynamic range of 12-200 keV and a good energy resolution of 3-4 keV. The hybrid detector configuration provides a flexible detection area that can be easily tailored for different imaging applications. The intrinsic performance of a prototype ERPC detector was evaluated with various gamma ray sources, and the results are presented.

  16. Nonlinear silicon photonics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borghi, M.; Castellan, C.; Signorini, S.; Trenti, A.; Pavesi, L.

    2017-09-01

    Silicon photonics is a technology based on fabricating integrated optical circuits by using the same paradigms as the dominant electronics industry. After twenty years of fervid development, silicon photonics is entering the market with low cost, high performance and mass-manufacturable optical devices. Until now, most silicon photonic devices have been based on linear optical effects, despite the many phenomenologies associated with nonlinear optics in both bulk materials and integrated waveguides. Silicon and silicon-based materials have strong optical nonlinearities which are enhanced in integrated devices by the small cross-section of the high-index contrast silicon waveguides or photonic crystals. Here the photons are made to strongly interact with the medium where they propagate. This is the central argument of nonlinear silicon photonics. It is the aim of this review to describe the state-of-the-art in the field. Starting from the basic nonlinearities in a silicon waveguide or in optical resonator geometries, many phenomena and applications are described—including frequency generation, frequency conversion, frequency-comb generation, supercontinuum generation, soliton formation, temporal imaging and time lensing, Raman lasing, and comb spectroscopy. Emerging quantum photonics applications, such as entangled photon sources, heralded single-photon sources and integrated quantum photonic circuits are also addressed at the end of this review.

  17. The dependence of the counting efficiency of Marinelli beakers for environmental samples on the density of the samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alfassi, Z.B.; Lavi, N.

    2005-01-01

    The effect of the density of the radioactive material packed in a Marinelli beaker on the counting efficiency was studied. It was found that for all densities (0.4-1.7g/cm 3) studied the counting efficiency (ε) fits the linear log-log dependence on the photon energy (E) above 200keV, i.e. obeying the equation ε=αE β (α, β-parameters). It was found that for each photon energy the counting efficiency is linearly dependent on the density (ρ) of the matrix. ε=a-bρ (a, b-parameters). The parameters of the linear dependence are energy dependent (linear log-log dependence), leading to a final equation for the counting efficiency of Marinelli beaker involving both density of the matrix and the photon energy: ε=α 1 .E β 1 -α 2 E β 2 ρ

  18. Advanced Photon Counting Imaging Detectors with 100ps Timing for Astronomical and Space Sensing Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegmund, O.; Vallerga, J.; Welsh, B.; Rabin, M.; Bloch, J.

    In recent years EAG has implemented a variety of high-resolution, large format, photon-counting MCP detectors in space instrumentation for satellite FUSE, GALEX, IMAGE, SOHO, HST-COS, rocket, and shuttle payloads. Our scheme of choice has been delay line readouts encoding photon event position centroids, by determination of the difference in arrival time of the event charge at the two ends of a distributed resistive-capacitive (RC) delay line. Our most commonly used delay line configuration is the cross delay line (XDL). In its simplest form the delay-line encoding electronics consists of a fast amplifier for each end of the delay line, followed by time-to-digital converters (TDC's). We have achieved resolutions of Pulsar with a telescope as small as 1m. Although microchannel plate delay line detectors meet many of the imaging and timing demands of various applications, they have limitations. The relatively high gain (107) reduces lifetime and local counting rate, and the fixed delay (10's of ns) makes multiple simultaneous event recording problematic. To overcome these limitations we have begun development of cross strip readout anodes for microchannel plate detectors. The cross strip (XS) anode is a coarse (~0.5 mm) multi-layer metal and ceramic pattern of crossed fingers on an alumina substrate. The charge cloud is matched to the anode period so that it is collected on several neighboring fingers to ensure an accurate event charge centroid can be determined. Each finger of the anode is connected to a low noise charge sensitive amplifier and followed by subsequent A/D conversion of individual strip charge values and a hardware centroid determination of better than 1/100 of a strip are possible. Recently we have commissioned a full 32 x 32 mm XS open face laboratory detector and demonstrated excellent resolution (Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA and NSF we are developing high rate (>107 Hz) XS encoding electronics that will encode temporally simultaneous

  19. Higher-order photon bunching in a semiconductor microcavity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Assmann, M.; Veit, F.; Bayer, M.

    2009-01-01

    Quantum mechanically indistinguishable particles such as photons may show collective behavior. Therefore, an appropriate description of a light field must consider the properties of an assembly of photons instead of independent particles. We have studied multiphoton correlations up to fourth order...... in the single-mode emission of a semiconductor microcavity in the weak and strong coupling regimes. The counting statistics of single photons were recorded with picosecond time resolution, allowing quantitative measurement of the few-photon bunching inside light pulses. Our results show bunching behavior...

  20. High Flux Energy-Resolved Photon-Counting X-Ray Imaging Arrays with CdTe and CdZnTe for Clinical CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barber, William C.; Hartsough, Neal E.; Gandhi, Thulasidharan; Iwanczyk, Jan S.; Wessel, Jan C.; Nygard, Einar; Malakhov, Nail; Wawrzyniak, Gregor; Dorholt, Ole; Danielsen, Roar

    2013-06-01

    We have fabricated fast room-temperature energy dispersive photon counting x-ray imaging arrays using pixellated cadmium zinc (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) semiconductors. We have also fabricated fast application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with a two dimensional (2D) array of inputs for readout from the CdZnTe sensors. The new CdTe and CdZnTe sensors have a 2D array of pixels with a 0.5 mm pitch and can be tiled in 2D. The new 2D ASICs have four energy discriminators per pixel with a linear energy response across the entire dynamic range for clinical CT. The ASICs can also be tiled in 2D and are designed to fit within the active area of the 2D sensors. We have measured several important performance parameters including; an output count rate (OCR) in excess of 20 million counts per second per square mm, an energy resolution of 7 keV full width at half maximum (FWHM) across the entire dynamic range, and a noise floor less than 20 keV. This is achieved by directly interconnecting the ASIC inputs to the pixels of the CdTE and CdZnTe sensors incurring very little additional capacitance. We present a comparison of the performance of the CdTe and CdZnTe sensors including the OCR, FWHM energy resolution, and noise floor. (authors)

  1. Nonclassicality characterization in photon statistics based on binary-response single-photon detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Yanqiang; Yang Rongcan; Li Gang; Zhang Pengfei; Zhang Yuchi; Wang Junmin; Zhang Tiancai

    2011-01-01

    By employing multiple conventional single-photon counting modules (SPCMs), which are binary-response detectors, instead of photon number resolving detectors, the nonclassicality criteria are investigated for various quantum states. The bounds of the criteria are derived from a system based on three or four SPCMs. The overall efficiency and background are both taken into account. The results of experiments with thermal and coherent light agree with the theoretical analysis. Compared with photon number resolving detectors, the use of a Hanbury Brown-Twiss-like scheme with multiple SPCMs is even better for revealing the nonclassicality of the fields, and the efficiency requirements are not so stringent. Some proposals are presented which can improve the detection performance with binary-response SPCMs for different quantum states.

  2. Maximum Likelihood Time-of-Arrival Estimation of Optical Pulses via Photon-Counting Photodetectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erkmen, Baris I.; Moision, Bruce E.

    2010-01-01

    Many optical imaging, ranging, and communications systems rely on the estimation of the arrival time of an optical pulse. Recently, such systems have been increasingly employing photon-counting photodetector technology, which changes the statistics of the observed photocurrent. This requires time-of-arrival estimators to be developed and their performances characterized. The statistics of the output of an ideal photodetector, which are well modeled as a Poisson point process, were considered. An analytical model was developed for the mean-square error of the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator, demonstrating two phenomena that cause deviations from the minimum achievable error at low signal power. An approximation was derived to the threshold at which the ML estimator essentially fails to provide better than a random guess of the pulse arrival time. Comparing the analytic model performance predictions to those obtained via simulations, it was verified that the model accurately predicts the ML performance over all regimes considered. There is little prior art that attempts to understand the fundamental limitations to time-of-arrival estimation from Poisson statistics. This work establishes both a simple mathematical description of the error behavior, and the associated physical processes that yield this behavior. Previous work on mean-square error characterization for ML estimators has predominantly focused on additive Gaussian noise. This work demonstrates that the discrete nature of the Poisson noise process leads to a distinctly different error behavior.

  3. Every photon counts : understanding and optimizing photon paths in luminescent solar concentrator-based photomicroreactors (LSCPMs)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cambié, D.; Zhao, F.; Hessel, V.; Debije, M.G.; Noël, T.

    2017-01-01

    Luminescent solar concentrator-based photomicroreactors (LSC-PMs) have been recently proposed for sustainable and energy-efficient photochemical reactions. Herein, a Monte Carlo ray tracing algorithm to simulate photon paths within LSC-PMs was developed and experimentally validated. The simulation

  4. Comparison of image uniformity with photon counting and conventional scintillation single-photon emission computed tomography system: A Monte Carlo simulation study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Ho Chul; Lee, Young Jin [Dept. of Radiological Science, Eulji University, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hee Joung; Kim, Kyuseok; Lee, Min Hee [Yonsei University, Wonju (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-06-15

    To avoid imaging artifacts and interpretation mistakes, an improvement of the uniformity in gamma camera systems is a very important point. We can expect excellent uniformity using cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) photon counting detector (PCD) because of the direct conversion of the gamma rays energy into electrons. In addition, the uniformity performance such as integral uniformity (IU), differential uniformity (DU), scatter fraction (SF), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) varies according to the energy window setting. In this study, we compared a PCD and conventional scintillation detector with respect to the energy windows (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) using a {sup 99m}Tc gamma source with a Geant4 Application for Tomography Emission simulation tool. The gamma camera systems used in this work are a CZT PCD and NaI(Tl) conventional scintillation detector with a 1-mm thickness. According to the results, although the IU and DU results were improved with the energy window, the SF and CNR results deteriorated with the energy window. In particular, the uniformity for the PCD was higher than that of the conventional scintillation detector in all cases. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the uniformity of the CZT PCD was higher than that of the conventional scintillation detector.

  5. Photon detector composed of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Atsuo; Minoura, Norihiko; Karube, Isao

    2005-01-01

    Applying the function of the single electron transistor, a novel photon detector consisting of a self-assembled structure of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles and an organic insulating layer was developed. It showed coulomb blockade behavior under dark conditions and remarkable increase in current corresponding to light intensity under light irradiation. Ultraweak photon emission of about 600 counts per second in the ultraviolet region could be detected at room temperature by this photon counter

  6. UVSiPM: A light detector instrument based on a SiPM sensor working in single photon counting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sottile, G.; Russo, F.; Agnetta, G. [Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, IASF-Pa/INAF, Palermo (Italy); Belluso, M.; Billotta, S. [Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, OACT/INAF, Catania (Italy); Biondo, B. [Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, IASF-Pa/INAF, Palermo (Italy); Bonanno, G. [Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, OACT/INAF, Catania (Italy); Catalano, O.; Giarrusso, S. [Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, IASF-Pa/INAF, Palermo (Italy); Grillo, A. [Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, OACT/INAF, Catania (Italy); Impiombato, D.; La Rosa, G.; Maccarone, M.C.; Mangano, A. [Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, IASF-Pa/INAF, Palermo (Italy); Marano, D. [Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, OACT/INAF, Catania (Italy); Mineo, T.; Segreto, A.; Strazzeri, E. [Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Palermo, IASF-Pa/INAF, Palermo (Italy); Timpanaro, M.C. [Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, OACT/INAF, Catania (Italy)

    2013-06-15

    UVSiPM is a light detector designed to measure the intensity of electromagnetic radiation in the 320–900 nm wavelength range. It has been developed in the framework of the ASTRI project whose main goal is the design and construction of an end-to-end Small Size class Telescope prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array. The UVSiPM instrument is composed by a multipixel Silicon Photo-Multiplier detector unit coupled to an electronic chain working in single photon counting mode with 10 nanosecond double pulse resolution, and by a disk emulator interface card for computer connection. The detector unit of UVSiPM is of the same kind as the ones forming the camera at the focal plane of the ASTRI prototype. Eventually, the UVSiPM instrument can be equipped with a collimator to regulate its angular aperture. UVSiPM, with its peculiar characteristics, will permit to perform several measurements both in lab and on field, allowing the absolute calibration of the ASTRI prototype.

  7. Transmission properties of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Falk, Charlotte Ijeoma; Hald, Jan; Petersen, Jan C.

    2010-01-01

    Variations in optical transmission of four types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers are measured as a function of laser frequency. These variations influence the potential accuracy of gas sensors based on molecular spectroscopy in hollow-core fibers.......Variations in optical transmission of four types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers are measured as a function of laser frequency. These variations influence the potential accuracy of gas sensors based on molecular spectroscopy in hollow-core fibers....

  8. High-speed single-photon signaling for daytime QKD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bienfang, Joshua; Restelli, Alessandro; Clark, Charles

    2011-03-01

    The distribution of quantum-generated cryptographic key at high throughputs can be critically limited by the performance of the systems' single-photon detectors. While noise and afterpulsing are considerations for all single-photon QKD systems, high-transmission rate systems also have critical detector timing-resolution and recovery time requirements. We present experimental results exploiting the high timing resolution and count-rate stability of modified single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in our GHz QKD system operating over a 1.5 km free-space link that demonstrate the ability to apply extremely short temporal gates, enabling daytime free-space QKD with a 4% QBER. We also discuss recent advances in gating techniques for InGaAs SPADs that are suitable for high-speed fiber-based QKD. We present afterpulse-probability measurements that demonstrate the ability to support single-photon count rates above 100 MHz with low afterpulse probability. These results will benefit the design and characterization of free-space and fiber QKD systems. A. Restelli, J.C. Bienfang A. Mink, and C.W. Clark, IEEE J. Sel. Topics in Quant. Electron 16, 1084 (2010).

  9. Atom counting with accelerator mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kutschera, Walter

    1995-01-01

    A brief review of the current status and some recent applications of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) are presented. Some connections to resonance ionization mass spectroscopy (RIS) as the alternate atom counting method are discussed

  10. A Method for Extracting the Free Energy Surface and Conformational Dynamics of Fast-Folding Proteins from Single Molecule Photon Trajectories

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy holds the promise of providing direct measurements of protein folding free energy landscapes and conformational motions. However, fulfilling this promise has been prevented by technical limitations, most notably, the difficulty in analyzing the small packets of photons per millisecond that are typically recorded from individual biomolecules. Such limitation impairs the ability to accurately determine conformational distributions and resolve sub-millisecond processes. Here we develop an analytical procedure for extracting the conformational distribution and dynamics of fast-folding proteins directly from time-stamped photon arrival trajectories produced by single molecule FRET experiments. Our procedure combines the maximum likelihood analysis originally developed by Gopich and Szabo with a statistical mechanical model that describes protein folding as diffusion on a one-dimensional free energy surface. Using stochastic kinetic simulations, we thoroughly tested the performance of the method in identifying diverse fast-folding scenarios, ranging from two-state to one-state downhill folding, as a function of relevant experimental variables such as photon count rate, amount of input data, and background noise. The tests demonstrate that the analysis can accurately retrieve the original one-dimensional free energy surface and microsecond folding dynamics in spite of the sub-megahertz photon count rates and significant background noise levels of current single molecule fluorescence experiments. Therefore, our approach provides a powerful tool for the quantitative analysis of single molecule FRET experiments of fast protein folding that is also potentially extensible to the analysis of any other biomolecular process governed by sub-millisecond conformational dynamics. PMID:25988351

  11. Single photon imaging at ultra-high resolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bellazzini, R. [INFN sez. Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Spandre, G. [INFN sez. Pisa, Pisa (Italy)], E-mail: Gloria.Spandre@pi.infn.it; Minuti, M.; Brez, A.; Baldini, L.; Latronico, L.; Omodei, N.; Sgro, C.; Bregeon, J.; Razzano, M.; Pinchera, M. [INFN sez. Pisa, Pisa (Italy); Tremsin, A.; McPhate, J.; Vallerga, J.V.; Siegmund, O. [SSL, Berkeley (United States)

    2008-06-11

    We present a detection system capable of imaging both single photon/positive ion and multiple coincidence photons/positive ions with extremely high spatial resolution. In this detector the photoelectrons excited by the incoming photons are multiplied by microchannel plate(s) (MCP). The process of multiplication is spatially constrained within an MCP pore, which can be as small as 4 {mu}m for commercially available MCPs. An electron cloud originated by a single photoelectron is then encoded by a pixellated custom analog ASIC consisting of 105 K charge sensitive pixels of 50 {mu}m in size arranged on a hexagonal grid. Each pixel registers the charge with an accuracy of <100 electrons rms. Computation of the event centroid from the readout charges results in an accurate event position. A large number of simultaneous photons spatially separated by {approx}0.4 mm can be detected simultaneously allowing multiple coincidence operation for the experiments where a large number of incoming photons/positive ions have to be detected simultaneously. The experimental results prove that the spatial resolution of the readout system itself is {approx}3 {mu}m FWHM enabling detection resolution better than 6 {mu}m for the small pore MCPs. An attractive feature of the detection system is its capability to register the timing of each incoming photon/positive ion (in single photon detection mode) or of the first incoming particle (for the multiple coincidence detection) with an accuracy of {approx}130 ps FWHM. There is also virtually no dark count noise in the detection system making it suitable for low count rate applications.

  12. Silicon photonics fundamentals and devices

    CERN Document Server

    Deen, M Jamal

    2012-01-01

    The creation of affordable high speed optical communications using standard semiconductor manufacturing technology is a principal aim of silicon photonics research. This would involve replacing copper connections with optical fibres or waveguides, and electrons with photons. With applications such as telecommunications and information processing, light detection, spectroscopy, holography and robotics, silicon photonics has the potential to revolutionise electronic-only systems. Providing an overview of the physics, technology and device operation of photonic devices using exclusively silicon and related alloys, the book includes: * Basic Properties of Silicon * Quantum Wells, Wires, Dots and Superlattices * Absorption Processes in Semiconductors * Light Emitters in Silicon * Photodetectors , Photodiodes and Phototransistors * Raman Lasers including Raman Scattering * Guided Lightwaves * Planar Waveguide Devices * Fabrication Techniques and Material Systems Silicon Photonics: Fundamentals and Devices outlines ...

  13. Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of sodium and potassium chlorate anions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dain, Ryan P; Leavitt, Christopher M; Oomens, Jos; Steill, Jeffrey D; Groenewold, Gary S; Van Stipdonk, Michael J

    2010-01-01

    The structures of gas-phase, metal chlorate anions with the formula [M(ClO(3))(2)](-), M = Na and K, were determined using tandem mass spectrometry and infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. Structural assignments for both anions are based on comparisons of the experimental vibrational spectra for the two species with those predicted by density functional theory (DFT) and involve conformations that feature either bidentate or tridentate coordination of the cation by chlorate. Our results strongly suggest that a structure in which both chlorate anions are bidentate ligands is preferred for [Na(ClO(3))(2)](-). However, for [K(ClO(3))(2)](-) the best agreement between experimental and theoretical spectra is obtained from a composite of predicted spectra for which the chlorate anions are either both bidentate or both tridentate ligands. In general, we find that the overall accuracy of DFT calculations for prediction of IR spectra is dependent on both functional and basis set, with best agreement achieved using frequencies generated at the B3LYP/6-311+g(3df) level of theory. Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Dose optimization for dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital mammography based on an energy-resolved photon-counting detector: A Monte Carlo simulation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Youngjin; Lee, Seungwan; Kang, Sooncheol; Eom, Jisoo

    2017-01-01

    Dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital mammography (CEDM) has been used to decompose breast images and improve diagnostic accuracy for tumor detection. However, this technique causes an increase of radiation dose and an inaccuracy in material decomposition due to the limitations of conventional X-ray detectors. In this study, we simulated the dual-energy CEDM with an energy-resolved photon-counting detector (ERPCD) for reducing radiation dose and improving the quantitative accuracy of material decomposition images. The ERPCD-based dual-energy CEDM was compared to the conventional dual-energy CEDM in terms of radiation dose and quantitative accuracy. The correlation between radiation dose and image quality was also evaluated for optimizing the ERPCD-based dual-energy CEDM technique. The results showed that the material decomposition errors of the ERPCD-based dual-energy CEDM were 0.56–0.67 times lower than those of the conventional dual-energy CEDM. The imaging performance of the proposed technique was optimized at the radiation dose of 1.09 mGy, which is a half of the MGD for a single view mammogram. It can be concluded that the ERPCD-based dual-energy CEDM with an optimal exposure level is able to improve the quality of material decomposition images as well as reduce radiation dose. - Highlights: • Dual-energy mammography based on a photon-counting detector was simulated. • Radiation dose and image quality were evaluated for optimizing the proposed technique. • The proposed technique reduced radiation dose as well as improved image quality. • The proposed technique was optimized at the radiation dose of 1.09 mGy.

  15. Generation, transmission, and detection of terahertz photons on an electrically driven single chip

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikushima, Kenji; Ito, Atsushi; Okano, Shun [Department of Applied Physics, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakacho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588 (Japan)

    2014-02-03

    We demonstrate single photon counting of terahertz (THz) waves transmitted from a local THz point source through a coplanar two-wire waveguide on a GaAs/AlGaAs single heterostructure crystal. In the electrically driven all-in-one chip, quantum Hall edge transport is used to achieve a noiseless injection current for a monochromatic point source of THz fields. The local THz fields are coupled to a coplanar two-wire metal waveguide and transmitted over a macroscopic scale greater than the wavelength (38 μm in GaAs). THz waves propagating on the waveguide are counted as individual photons by a quantum-dot single-electron transistor on the same chip. Photon counting on integrated high-frequency circuits will open the possibilities for on-chip quantum optical experiments.

  16. Problems and precision of the alpha scintillation radon counting system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lucas, H.F.; Markuu, F.

    1985-01-01

    Variations in efficiency as large as 3% have been found for radon scintillation counting systems in which the photomultiplier tubes are sensitive to the thermoluminescent photons emitted by the scintillator after exposure to light or for which the resolution has deteriorated. The additional standard deviation caused by counting a radon chamber on multiple counting systems has been evaluated and the effect, if present, did not exceed about 0.1%. The chambers have been calibrated for the measurement of radon in air, and the standard deviation was equal to statistical counting error combined with a systematic error of 1.1%. 3 references, 2 figures, 2 tables

  17. Spectroscopy of photonic band gaps in mesoporous one-dimensional photonic crystals based on aluminum oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorelik, V.S.; Voinov, Yu.P.; Shchavlev, V.V.; Bi, Dongxue; Shang, Guo Liang; Fei, Guang Tao

    2017-01-01

    Mesoporous one-dimensional photonic crystals based on aluminum oxide have been synthesized by electrochemical etching method. Reflection spectra of the obtained mesoporous samples in a wide spectral range that covers several band gaps are presented. Microscopic parameters of photonic crystals are calculated and corresponding reflection spectra for the first six band gaps are presented.

  18. Dark spectroscopy at lepton colliders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hochberg, Yonit; Kuflik, Eric; Murayama, Hitoshi

    2018-03-01

    Rich and complex dark sectors are abundant in particle physics theories. Here, we propose performing spectroscopy of the mass structure of dark sectors via mono-photon searches at lepton colliders. The energy of the mono-photon tracks the invariant mass of the invisible system it recoils against, which enables studying the resonance structure of the dark sector. We demonstrate this idea with several well-motivated models of dark sectors. Such spectroscopy measurements could potentially be performed at Belle II, BES-III and future low-energy lepton colliders.

  19. Al{sub 0.2}Ga{sub 0.8}As X-ray photodiodes for X-ray spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Whitaker, M.D.C., E-mail: M.Whitaker@sussex.ac.uk; Lioliou, G.; Butera, S.; Barnett, A.M.

    2016-12-21

    Three custom-made Al{sub 0.2}Ga{sub 0.8}As p-i-n mesa X-ray photodiodes (200 µm diameter, 3 µm i layer) were electrically characterised and investigated for their response to illumination with soft X-rays from an {sup 55}Fe radioisotope X-ray source (Mn Kα = 5.9 keV; Mn Kβ = 6.49 keV). The AlGaAs photodiodes were shown to be suitable for photon counting X-ray spectroscopy at room temperature. When coupled to a custom-made low-noise charge-sensitive preamplifier, a mean energy resolution (as quantified by the full width at half maximum of the 5.9 keV photopeak) of 1.24 keV was measured at room temperature. Parameters such as the depletion width (1.92 µm at 10 V), charge trapping noise (61.7 e{sup −} rms ENC at 5 V, negligible at 10 V) and the electronic noise components (known dielectric noise (63.4 e{sup −} rms), series white noise (27.7 e{sup −} rms), parallel white noise (9.5 e{sup −} rms) and 1/f series noise (2.2 e{sup −} rms) at 10 V reverse bias) affecting the achieved energy resolution were computed. The estimated charge trapping noise and mean energy resolution were compared to similar materials (e.g. Al{sub 0.8}Ga{sub 0.2}As) previously reported, and discussed. These results are the first demonstration of photon counting X-ray spectroscopy with Al{sub 0.2}Ga{sub 0.8}As reported to date.

  20. Sensitivity of near-infrared spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy to brain hemodynamics: simulations and experimental findings during hypercapnia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selb, Juliette; Boas, David A; Chan, Suk-Tak; Evans, Karleyton C; Buckley, Erin M; Carp, Stefan A

    2014-07-01

    Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) are two diffuse optical technologies for brain imaging that are sensitive to changes in hemoglobin concentrations and blood flow, respectively. Measurements for both modalities are acquired on the scalp, and therefore hemodynamic processes in the extracerebral vasculature confound the interpretation of cortical hemodynamic signals. The sensitivity of NIRS to the brain versus the extracerebral tissue and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of NIRS to cerebral hemodynamic responses have been well characterized, but the same has not been evaluated for DCS. This is important to assess in order to understand their relative capabilities in measuring cerebral physiological changes. We present Monte Carlo simulations on a head model that demonstrate that the relative brain-to-scalp sensitivity is about three times higher for DCS (0.3 at 3 cm) than for NIRS (0.1 at 3 cm). However, because DCS has higher levels of noise due to photon-counting detection, the CNR is similar for both modalities in response to a physiologically realistic simulation of brain activation. Even so, we also observed higher CNR of the hemodynamic response during graded hypercapnia in adult subjects with DCS than with NIRS.

  1. Monitoring molecular interactions using photon arrival-time interval distribution analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurence, Ted A [Livermore, CA; Weiss, Shimon [Los Angels, CA

    2009-10-06

    A method for analyzing/monitoring the properties of species that are labeled with fluorophores. A detector is used to detect photons emitted from species that are labeled with one or more fluorophores and located in a confocal detection volume. The arrival time of each of the photons is determined. The interval of time between various photon pairs is then determined to provide photon pair intervals. The number of photons that have arrival times within the photon pair intervals is also determined. The photon pair intervals are then used in combination with the corresponding counts of intervening photons to analyze properties and interactions of the molecules including brightness, concentration, coincidence and transit time. The method can be used for analyzing single photon streams and multiple photon streams.

  2. Development of a high-speed single-photon pixellated detector for visible wavelengths

    CERN Document Server

    Mac Raighne, Aaron; Mathot, Serge; McPhate, Jason; Vallerga, John; Jarron, Pierre; Brownlee, Colin; O’Shea, Val

    2009-01-01

    We present the development of a high-speed, single-photon counting, Hybrid Photo Detector (HPD). The HPD consists of a vacuum tube, containing the detector assembly, sealed with a transparent optical input window. Photons incident on the photocathode eject a photoelectron into a large electric field, which accelerates the incident electron onto a silicon detector. The silicon detector is bump bonded to a Medipix readout chip. This set-up allows for the detection and readout of low incident photon intensities at rates that are otherwise unattainable with current camera technology. Reported is the fabrication of the camera that brings together a range of sophisticated design and fabrication techniques and the expected theoretical imaging performance. Applications to cellular and molecular microscopy are also described in which single-photon-counting abilities at high frame rates are crucial

  3. NFAD Arrays for Single Photon Optical Communications at 1.5 um, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — For this program, we propose to develop large pixel-count single photon counting detector arrays suitable for deployment in spacecraft terminal receivers supporting...

  4. Fluctuations and dark count rates in superconducting NbN single-photon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engel, Andreas; Semenov, Alexei; Huebers, Heinz-Wilhelm; Il'in, Kostya; Siegel, Michael

    2005-01-01

    We measured the temperature- and current-dependence of dark count rates of a superconducting singlephoton detector. The detector's key element is a 84 nm wide meander strip line fabricated from a 5 nm thick NbN film. Due to its reduced dimensions various types of fluctuations can cause temporal and localized transitions into a resistive state leading to dark count events. Adopting a recent refinement of the hotspot model we achieve a satisfying description of the experimental dark count rates taking into account fluctuations of the Cooper-pair density and current-assisted unbinding of vortex-antivortex pairs. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  5. Single-photon cesium Rydberg excitation spectroscopy using 318.6-nm UV laser and room-temperature vapor cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jieying; Bai, Jiandong; He, Jun; Wang, Junmin

    2017-09-18

    We demonstrate a single-photon Rydberg excitation spectroscopy of cesium (Cs) atoms in a room-temperature vapor cell. Cs atoms are excited directly from 6S 1/2 ground state to nP 3/2 (n = 70 - 100) Rydberg states with a 318.6 nm ultraviolet (UV) laser, and Rydberg excitation spectra are obtained by transmission enhancement of a probe beam resonant to Cs 6S 1/2 , F = 4 - 6P 3/2 , F' = 5 transition as partial population on F = 4 ground state are transferred to Rydberg state. Analysis reveals that the observed spectra are velocity-selective spectroscopy of Rydberg state, from which the amplitude and linewidth influenced by lasers' Rabi frequency have been investigated. Fitting to energies of Cs nP 3/2 (n = 70 -100) states, the determined quantum defect is 3.56671(42). The demodulated spectra can also be employed as frequency references to stabilize the UV laser frequency to specific Cs Rydberg transition.

  6. Role of Absorbing Nanocrystal Cores in Soft Photonic Crystals: A Spectroscopy and SANS Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rauh, Astrid; Carl, Nico; Schweins, Ralf; Karg, Matthias

    2018-01-23

    Periodic superstructures of plasmonic nanoparticles have attracted significant interest because they can support coupled plasmonic modes, making them interesting for plasmonic lasing, metamaterials, and as light-management structures in thin-film optoelectronic devices. We have recently shown that noble metal hydrogel core-shell colloids allow for the fabrication of highly ordered 2-dimensional plasmonic lattices that show surface lattice resonances as the result of plasmonic/diffractive coupling (Volk, K.; Fitzgerald, J. P. S.; Ruckdeschel, P.; Retsch, M.; König, T. A. F.; Karg, M. Reversible Tuning of Visible Wavelength Surface Lattice Resonances in Self-Assembled Hybrid Monolayers. Adv. Optical Mater. 2017, 5, 1600971, DOI: 10.1002/adom.201600971). In the present work, we study the photonic properties and structure of 3-dimensional crystalline superstructures of gold hydrogel core-shell colloids and their pitted counterparts without gold cores. We use far-field extinction spectroscopy to investigate the optical response of these superstructures. Narrow Bragg peaks are measured, independently of the presence or absence of the gold cores. All crystals show a significant reduction in low-wavelength scattering. This leads to a significant enhancement of the plasmonic properties of the samples prepared from gold-nanoparticle-containing core-shell colloids. Plasmonic/diffractive coupling is not evident, which we mostly attribute to the relatively small size of the gold cores limiting the effective coupling strength. Small-angle neutron scattering is applied to study the crystal structure. Bragg peaks of several orders clearly assignable to an fcc arrangement of the particles are observed for all crystalline samples in a broad range of volume fractions. Our results indicate that the nanocrystal cores do not influence the overall crystallization behavior or the crystal structure. These are important prerequisites for future studies on photonic materials built from core

  7. Progress in photon science basics and applications

    CERN Document Server

    2017-01-01

    This book features chapters based on lectures presented by world-leading researchers of photon science from Russia and Japan at the first “STEPS Symposium on Photon Science” held in Tokyo in March 2015. It describes recent progress in the field of photon science, covering a wide range of interest to experts in the field, including laser-plasma interaction, filamentation and its applications, laser assisted electron scattering, exotic properties of light, ultrafast imaging, molecules and clusters in intense laser fields, photochemistry and spectroscopy of novel materials, laser-assisted material synthesis, and photon technology.

  8. Probing the photoluminescence properties of gold nanoclusters by fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan, C. T.; Lin, T. N.; Shen, J. L.; Lin, C. A.; Chang, W. H.; Cheng, H. W.; Tang, J.

    2013-01-01

    Gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) have attracted much attention for promising applications in biological imaging owing to their tiny sizes and biocompatibility. So far, most efforts have been focused on the strategies for fabricating high-quality Au NCs and then characterized by conventional ensemble measurement. Here, a fusion single-molecule technique combining fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and time-correlated single-photon counting can be successfully applied to probe the photoluminescence (PL) properties for sparse Au NCs. In this case, the triplet-state dynamics and diffusion process can be observed simultaneously and the relevant time constants can be derived. This work provides a complementary insight into the PL mechanism at the molecular levels for Au NCs in solution

  9. Application of laser fluorescence spectroscopy by two-photon excitation into atomic hydrogen density measurement in reactive plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kajiwara, Toshinori; Takeda, Kazuyuki; Kim, Hee Je; Park, Won Zoo; Muraoka, Katsunori; Akazaki, Masanori; Okada, Tatsuo; Maeda, Mitsuo.

    1990-01-01

    Density profiles of hydrogen atoms in reactive plasmas of hydrogen and methane gases were measured, for the first time, using the laser fluorescence spectroscopy by two-photon excitation of Lyman beta transition and observation at the Balmer alpha radiation. Absolute density determinations showed atomic densities of around 3 x 10 17 m -3 , or the degree of dissociation to be 10 -4 . Densities along the axis perpendicular to the RF electrode showed peaked profiles, which were due to the balance of atomic hydrogen production by electron impact on molecules against diffusion loss to the walls. (author)

  10. Stimulated Raman spectroscopy and nanoscopy of molecules using near field photon induced forces without resonant electronic enhancement gain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamma, Venkata Ananth [CaSTL Center, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697 (United States); Huang, Fei; Kumar Wickramasinghe, H., E-mail: hkwick@uci.edu [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 142 Engineering Tower, University of California, Irvine, California 92697 (United States); Nowak, Derek [Molecular Vista, Inc., 6840 Via Del Oro, San Jose, California 95119 (United States)

    2016-06-06

    We report on stimulated Raman spectroscopy and nanoscopy of molecules, excited without resonant electronic enhancement gain, and recorded using near field photon induced forces. Photon-induced interaction forces between the sharp metal coated silicon tip of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and a sample resulting from stimulated Raman excitation were detected. We controlled the tip to sample spacing using the higher order flexural eigenmodes of the AFM cantilever, enabling the tip to come very close to the sample. As a result, the detection sensitivity was increased compared with previous work on Raman force microscopy. Raman vibrational spectra of azobenzene thiol and l-phenylalanine were measured and found to agree well with published results. Near-field force detection eliminates the need for far-field optical spectrometer detection. Recorded images show spatial resolution far below the optical diffraction limit. Further optimization and use of ultrafast pulsed lasers could push the detection sensitivity towards the single molecule limit.

  11. Integrated circuit authentication using photon-limited x-ray microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markman, Adam; Javidi, Bahram

    2016-07-15

    A counterfeit integrated circuit (IC) may contain subtle changes to its circuit configuration. These changes may be observed when imaged using an x-ray; however, the energy from the x-ray can potentially damage the IC. We have investigated a technique to authenticate ICs under photon-limited x-ray imaging. We modeled an x-ray image with lower energy by generating a photon-limited image from a real x-ray image using a weighted photon-counting method. We performed feature extraction on the image using the speeded-up robust features (SURF) algorithm. We then authenticated the IC by comparing the SURF features to a database of SURF features from authentic and counterfeit ICs. Our experimental results with real and counterfeit ICs using an x-ray microscope demonstrate that we can correctly authenticate an IC image captured using orders of magnitude lower energy x-rays. To the best of our knowledge, this Letter is the first one on using a photon-counting x-ray imaging model and relevant algorithms to authenticate ICs to prevent potential damage.

  12. Spectral CT of the extremities with a silicon strip photon counting detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sisniega, A.; Zbijewski, W.; Stayman, J. W.; Xu, J.; Taguchi, K.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

    2015-03-01

    Purpose: Photon counting x-ray detectors (PCXDs) are an important emerging technology for spectral imaging and material differentiation with numerous potential applications in diagnostic imaging. We report development of a Si-strip PCXD system originally developed for mammography with potential application to spectral CT of musculoskeletal extremities, including challenges associated with sparse sampling, spectral calibration, and optimization for higher energy x-ray beams. Methods: A bench-top CT system was developed incorporating a Si-strip PCXD, fixed anode x-ray source, and rotational and translational motions to execute complex acquisition trajectories. Trajectories involving rotation and translation combined with iterative reconstruction were investigated, including single and multiple axial scans and longitudinal helical scans. The system was calibrated to provide accurate spectral separation in dual-energy three-material decomposition of soft-tissue, bone, and iodine. Image quality and decomposition accuracy were assessed in experiments using a phantom with pairs of bone and iodine inserts (3, 5, 15 and 20 mm) and an anthropomorphic wrist. Results: The designed trajectories improved the sampling distribution from 56% minimum sampling of voxels to 75%. Use of iterative reconstruction (viz., penalized likelihood with edge preserving regularization) in combination with such trajectories resulted in a very low level of artifacts in images of the wrist. For large bone or iodine inserts (>5 mm diameter), the error in the estimated material concentration was errors of 20-40% were observed and motivate improved methods for spectral calibration and optimization of the edge-preserving regularizer. Conclusion: Use of PCXDs for three-material decomposition in joint imaging proved feasible through a combination of rotation-translation acquisition trajectories and iterative reconstruction with optimized regularization.

  13. New all-optical method for measuring molecular permanent dipole moment difference using two-photon absorption spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rebane, A.; Drobizhev, M.; Makarov, N.S.; Beuerman, E.; Tillo, S.; Hughes, T.

    2010-01-01

    Stark effect, in combination with spectral hole burning and single-molecule spectroscopy, has been a fruitful technique to study permanent electric dipole moment of molecules in condensed phase. However, because measuring Stark shifts relies on external fields and narrow line- or hole-widths, the applicability of this method at ambient conditions required by most biological systems has remained limited. Here we demonstrate a new all-optical method for measuring the molecular dipole moment difference between ground and excited states using two-photon absorption (2PA) spectroscopy. We show that the value and orientation of the static dipole moment difference can be determined from the corresponding absolute 2PA cross-section. We use this new method to determine for the first time the strength of local electric field E loc =0.1-1.0x10 8 V/cm inside beta-barrel of Fruit series of red fluorescent proteins. Because our method does not rely on external field and is applicable in liquid solutions, it is well suited for the study of biological systems.

  14. Quantum optics with quantum dots in photonic wires

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munsch, Mathieu; Cadeddu, Davide; Teissier, Jean

    2016-01-01

    We present an exploration of the spectroscopy of a single quantum dot in a photonic wire. The device presents a high photon extraction efficiency, and strong hybrid coupling to mechanical modes. We use resonance fluorescence to probe the emitter's properties with the highest sensitivity, allowing...

  15. State preparation and detector effects in quantum measurements of rotation with circular polarization-entangled photons and photon counting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cen, Longzhu; Zhang, Zijing; Zhang, Jiandong; Li, Shuo; Sun, Yifei; Yan, Linyu; Zhao, Yuan; Wang, Feng

    2017-11-01

    Circular polarization-entangled photons can be used to obtain an enhancement of the precision in a rotation measurement. In this paper, the method of entanglement transformation is used to produce NOON states in circular polarization from a readily generated linear polarization-entangled photon source. Detection of N -fold coincidences serves as the postselection and N -fold superoscillating fringes are obtained simultaneously. A parity strategy and conditional probabilistic statistics contribute to a better fringe, saturating the angle sensitivity to the Heisenberg limit. The impact of imperfect state preparation and detection is discussed both separately and jointly. For the separated case, the influence of each system imperfection is pronounced. For the joint case, the feasibility region for surpassing the standard quantum limit is given. Our work pushes the state preparation of circular polarization-entangled photons to the same level as that in the case of linear polarization. It is also confirmed that entanglement can be transformed into different frames for specific applications, serving as a useful scheme for using entangled sources.

  16. Scintillating fiber tracking at high luminosities using Visible Light Photon counter readout

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atac, M.

    1995-11-01

    This paper reviews the research work on the Visible Light Photon Counters (VLPC) that have been developed for the scintillating fiber tracking at high luminosity colliders and high rate fixed target experiments. The devices originated from the joint work between UCLA and Rockwell International Science Center. The VLPCs are capable of counting photons very efficiently down to a single photon level with high avalanche gain, producing pulses at very high rates with very short rise times. Due to small gain dispersions they can be used in counting photons with high quantum efficiencies, therefore they are excellent devices for charged particle tracking using small diameter scintillating plastic fibers. In this paper, fiber tracking for the CDF and D0 upgrades and a possible usage of the VLPC readout for the experiment E803 at Fermilab will be discussed

  17. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) on SOI for near-infrared range

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trojan, Philipp; Il' in, Konstantin; Henrich, Dagmar; Hofherr, Matthias; Doerner, Steffen; Siegel, Michael [Institut fuer Mikro- und Nanoelektronische Systeme (IMS), Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (KIT) (Germany); Semenov, Alexey [Institut fuer Planetenforschung, DLR, Berlin-Adlershof (Germany); Huebers, Heinz-Wilhelm [Institut fuer Planetenforschung, DLR, Berlin-Adlershof (Germany); Institut fuer Optik und Atomare Physik, Technische Universitaet Berlin (Germany)

    2013-07-01

    Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors are promising devices for photon detectors with high count rates, low dark count rates and low dead times. At wavelengths beyond the visible range, the detection efficiency of today's SNSPDs drops significantly. Moreover, the low absorption in ultra-thin detector films is a limiting factor over the entire spectral range. Solving this problem requires approaches for an enhancement of the absorption range in feeding the light to the detector element. A possibility to obtain a better absorption is the use of multilayer substrate materials for photonic waveguide structures. We present results on development of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors made from niobium nitride on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) multilayer substrates. Optical and superconducting properties of SNSPDs on SOI will be discussed and compared with the characteristics of detectors on common substrates.

  18. Control of photon correlations in type II parametric down-conversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrews, R; Joseph, A T; Pike, E R; Sarkar, Sarben

    2005-01-01

    In this paper we describe theoretically quantum control of temporal correlations of entangled photons produced by collinear type II spontaneous parametric down-conversion. We examine the effect of spectral phase modulation of the signal or idler photons arriving at a 50/50 beam splitter on the temporal shape of the entangled-photon wavepacket. The coincidence count rate is calculated analytically for photon pairs in terms of the modulation depth applied to either the signal or idler beam with a spectral phase filter. It is found that the two-photon coincidence rate can be controlled by varying the modulation depth of the spectral filter

  19. NATO Advanced Study Institute on Bio-Photonics

    CERN Document Server

    Bartolo, Baldassare Di

    2011-01-01

    This volume describes an impressive array of the current photonic-related technologies being used in the investigation of biological systems. The topics include various types of microscopy (fluorescence correlation microscopy, two-photon microscopy), sensitive detection of biological molecules, nano-surgery techniques, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, nano-plasmonics, terahertz spectroscopy, and photosynthetic energy conversion. The emphasis is on the physical principles behind each technique, and on examining the advantages and limitations of each.The book begins with an overview by Paras Prasad, a leader in the field of biophotonics, of several important optical techniques currently used for studying biological systems. In the subsequent chapters these techniques are discussed in depth, providing the reader with a detailed understanding of the basic physical principles at work. An excellent treatment of terahertz spectroscopy demonstrates how photonics is being extended beyond the visible region. Rec...

  20. New Generation of Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goltsman G.N.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We present an overview of recent results for new generation of infrared and optical superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs that has already demonstrated a performance that makes them devices-of-choice for many applications. SNSPDs provide high efficiency for detecting individual photons while keeping dark counts and timing jitter minimal. Besides superior detection performance over a broad optical bandwidth, SNSPDs are also compatible with an integrated optical platform as a crucial requirement for applications in emerging quantum photonic technologies. By embedding SNSPDs in nanophotonic circuits we realize waveguide integrated single photon detectors which unite all desirable detector properties in a single device.

  1. Single-Photon-Sensitive HgCdTe Avalanche Photodiode Detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huntington, Andrew

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this program was to develop single-photon-sensitive short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) and mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) avalanche photodiode (APD) receivers based on linear-mode HgCdTe APDs, for application by NASA in light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors. Linear-mode photon-counting APDs are desired for lidar because they have a shorter pixel dead time than Geiger APDs, and can detect sequential pulse returns from multiple objects that are closely spaced in range. Linear-mode APDs can also measure photon number, which Geiger APDs cannot, adding an extra dimension to lidar scene data for multi-photon returns. High-gain APDs with low multiplication noise are required for efficient linear-mode detection of single photons because of APD gain statistics -- a low-excess-noise APD will generate detectible current pulses from single photon input at a much higher rate of occurrence than will a noisy APD operated at the same average gain. MWIR and LWIR electron-avalanche HgCdTe APDs have been shown to operate in linear mode at high average avalanche gain (M > 1000) without excess multiplication noise (F = 1), and are therefore very good candidates for linear-mode photon counting. However, detectors fashioned from these narrow-bandgap alloys require aggressive cooling to control thermal dark current. Wider-bandgap SWIR HgCdTe APDs were investigated in this program as a strategy to reduce detector cooling requirements.

  2. Two-dimensional photon-echo spectroscopy at a conical intersection: A two-mode pyrazine model with dissipation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sala, Matthieu; Egorova, Dassia

    2016-12-20

    The multi-dimensional electronic spectroscopy of ultrafast nuclear dynamics at conical intersections (CI) is an emerging field of investigation, which profits also from the recent extension of the techniques to the UV domain. We present a detailed computational study of oscillatory signatures in two-dimensional (2D) photon-echo spectroscopy (also known as 2D electronic spectroscopy, 2DES) for the two-mode pyrazine model with dissipation. Conventional 2D signals as well as the resulting beating maps are considered. Although of a reduced character, the model captures quite well all the main signatures of the excited-state dynamics of the molecule. Due to the ultrafast relaxation via the CI and no excited-state absorption from the low-lying dark state, the oscillatory components of the signal are found to be predominantly determined by the ground state bleach contribution. They reflect, therefore, the ground-state vibrational coherence induced in the Raman active mode. Beating maps provide a way to experimentally differentiate between ground state bleach and stimulated emission oscillatory components. The ultrafast decay of the latter constitutes a clear indirect signature of the CI. In the considered model, because of the sign properties of the involved transition dipole moments, the dominance of the ground-state coherence leads to anti-correlated oscillations of cross peaks located at symmetric positions with respect to the main diagonal.

  3. A statistical analysis of count normalization methods used in positron-emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holmes, T.J.; Ficke, D.C.; Snyder, D.L.

    1984-01-01

    As part of the Positron-Emission Tomography (PET) reconstruction process, annihilation counts are normalized for photon absorption, detector efficiency and detector-pair duty-cycle. Several normalization methods of time-of-flight and conventional systems are analyzed mathematically for count bias and variance. The results of the study have some implications on hardware and software complexity and on image noise and distortion

  4. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography based on a photon-counting detector: quantitative accuracy and radiation dose

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seungwan; Kang, Sooncheol; Eom, Jisoo

    2017-03-01

    Contrast-enhanced mammography has been used to demonstrate functional information about a breast tumor by injecting contrast agents. However, a conventional technique with a single exposure degrades the efficiency of tumor detection due to structure overlapping. Dual-energy techniques with energy-integrating detectors (EIDs) also cause an increase of radiation dose and an inaccuracy of material decomposition due to the limitations of EIDs. On the other hands, spectral mammography with photon-counting detectors (PCDs) is able to resolve the issues induced by the conventional technique and EIDs using their energy-discrimination capabilities. In this study, the contrast-enhanced spectral mammography based on a PCD was implemented by using a polychromatic dual-energy model, and the proposed technique was compared with the dual-energy technique with an EID in terms of quantitative accuracy and radiation dose. The results showed that the proposed technique improved the quantitative accuracy as well as reduced radiation dose comparing to the dual-energy technique with an EID. The quantitative accuracy of the contrast-enhanced spectral mammography based on a PCD was slightly improved as a function of radiation dose. Therefore, the contrast-enhanced spectral mammography based on a PCD is able to provide useful information for detecting breast tumors and improving diagnostic accuracy.

  5. Symmetry adaptation in two-photon spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kibler, M.

    1991-11-01

    Symmetry adaptation techniques are applied to the determination of the intensity of two-photon transitions for transition ions in finite symmetry environments. The case of intra-configurational transitions are discussed with some details and some results on inter-configurational transitions are briefly reported. In particular, for intra-configurational transitions, a model is described which takes into account the following ingredients: (symmetry, second- plus third-order mechanisms, S-, L- and J-mixings). (author) 20 refs

  6. Living in a digital world: features and applications of FPGA in photon detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnesano, Cosimo

    Optical spectroscopy and imaging outcomes rely upon many factors; one of the most critical is the photon acquisition and processing method employed. For some types of measurements it may be crucial to acquire every single photon quickly with temporal resolution, but in other cases it is important to acquire as many photons as possible, regardless of the time information about each of them. Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy belongs to the first case, where the information of the time of arrival of every single photon in every single pixel is fundamental in obtaining the desired information. Spectral tissue imaging belongs to the second case, where high photon density is needed in order to calculate the optical parameters necessary to build the spectral image. In both cases, the current instrumentation suffers from limitations in terms of acquisition time, duty cycle, cost, and radio-frequency interference and emission. We developed the Digital Frequency-Domain approach for photon acquisition and processing purpose using new digital technology. This approach is based on the use of photon detectors in photon counting mode, and the digital heterodyning method to acquire data which is analyzed in the frequency domain to provide the information of the time of arrival of the photons . In conjunction with the use of pulsed laser sources, this method allows the determination of the time of arrival of the photons using the harmonic content of the frequency domain analysis. The parallel digital FD design is a powerful approach that others the possibility to implement a variety of different applications in fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy. It can be applied to fluorometry, Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM), and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS), as well as multi frequency and multi wavelength tissue imaging in compact portable medical devices. It dramatically reduces the acquisition time from the several minutes scale to the seconds scale, performs

  7. Pulsed single-photon spectrometer by frequency-to-time mapping using chirped fiber Bragg gratings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Alex O C; Saulnier, Paul M; Karpiński, Michał; Smith, Brian J

    2017-05-29

    A fiber-integrated spectrometer for single-photon pulses outside the telecommunications wavelength range based upon frequency-to-time mapping, implemented by chromatic group delay dispersion (GDD), and precise temporally-resolved single-photon counting, is presented. A chirped fiber Bragg grating provides low-loss GDD, mapping the frequency distribution of an input pulse onto the temporal envelope of the output pulse. Time-resolved detection with fast single-photon-counting modules enables monitoring of a wavelength range from 825 nm to 835 nm with nearly uniform efficiency at 55 pm resolution (24 GHz at 830 nm). To demonstrate the versatility of this technique, spectral interference of heralded single photons and the joint spectral intensity distribution of a photon-pair source are measured. This approach to single-photon-level spectral measurements provides a route to realize applications of time-frequency quantum optics at visible and near-infrared wavelengths, where multiple spectral channels must be simultaneously monitored.

  8. Dye lasers in atomic spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lange, W.; Luther, J.; Steudel, A.

    1974-01-01

    The properties of dye lasers which are relevant to atomic spectroscopy are discussed. Several experiments made possible by tunable dye lasers are discussed. Applications of high spectral density dye lasers are covered in areas such as absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, photoionization and photodetachment, and two- and multi-photon processes. Applications which take advantage of the narrow bandwidth of tunable dye lasers are discussed, including saturation spectroscopy, fluorescence line narrowing, classic absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, nonoptical detection of optical resonances, heterodyne spectroscopy, and nonlinear coherent resonant phenomena. (26 figures, 180 references) (U.S.)

  9. Two-photon polarization Fourier spectroscopy of metastable atomic hydrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duncan, A.J.; Beyer, H.-J.; Kleinpoppen, H.; Sheikh, Z.A,; B-Z Univ., Multan

    1997-01-01

    A novel Fourier-transform spectroscopic method using two-photon polarization to determine the spectral distribution of the two photons emitted in the spontaneous decay of metastable atomic hydrogen is described. The method uses birefringent retardation plates and takes advantage of the subtle interplay between the spectral properties and the entangled polarization properties of the radiation emitted in the decay. Assuming the validity of the theoretical spectral distribution, it is shown that the experimental results agree well with theory. On the other hand, success in solving the inverse problem of determining the spectral distribution from the experimental results is limited by the small number of experimental points. However, making reasonable assumptions it is deduced that the observed spectrum is characterized by a broadband signal of width (0.43 ± 0.06) x 10 16 rad s -1 and centre angular frequency (0.77 ± 0.03) x 10 16 rad s -1 in good agreement with the predictions of 0.489 x 10 16 rad s -1 and 0.775 x 10 16 rad s -1 , respectively, obtained from the theoretical spectral distribution modified to take account of the absorption of the two-photon radiation in air. The values of 1.5 fs for the coherence time and 440 nm for the coherence length for single photons of the two-photon pair which are obtained from the measured bandwidth imply that, in the ideal case, these values are determined by the essentially zero lifetime of the virtual intermediate state of the decay process rather than the long lifetime of the metastable state which, it is suggested, determines the coherence time and coherence length appropriate to certain types of fourth-order interference experiments. (Author)

  10. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors: physics and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Natarajan, Chandra M; Tanner, Michael G; Hadfield, Robert H

    2012-01-01

    Single-photon detectors based on superconducting nanowires (SSPDs or SNSPDs) have rapidly emerged as a highly promising photon-counting technology for infrared wavelengths. These devices offer high efficiency, low dark counts and excellent timing resolution. In this review, we consider the basic SNSPD operating principle and models of device behaviour. We give an overview of the evolution of SNSPD device design and the improvements in performance which have been achieved. We also evaluate device limitations and noise mechanisms. We survey practical refrigeration technologies and optical coupling schemes for SNSPDs. Finally we summarize promising application areas, ranging from quantum cryptography to remote sensing. Our goal is to capture a detailed snapshot of an emerging superconducting detector technology on the threshold of maturity. (topical review)

  11. Neutron counting and gamma spectroscopy with PVT detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, Dean James; Brusseau, Charles A.

    2011-01-01

    Radiation portals normally incorporate a dedicated neutron counter and a gamma-ray detector with at least some spectroscopic capability. This paper describes the design and presents characterization data for a detection system called PVT-NG, which uses large polyvinyl toluene (PVT) detectors to monitor both types of radiation. The detector material is surrounded by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which emits high-energy gamma rays following neutron capture reactions. Assessments based on high-energy gamma rays are well suited for the detection of neutron sources, particularly in border security applications, because few isotopes in the normal stream of commerce have significant gamma ray yields above 3 MeV. Therefore, an increased count rate for high-energy gamma rays is a strong indicator for the presence of a neutron source. The sensitivity of the PVT-NG sensor to bare 252 Cf is 1.9 counts per second per nanogram (cps/ng) and the sensitivity for 252 Cf surrounded by 2.5 cm of polyethylene is 2.3 cps/ng. The PVT-NG sensor is a proof-of-principal sensor that was not fully optimized. The neutron detector sensitivity could be improved, for instance, by using additional moderator. The PVT-NG detectors and associated electronics are designed to provide improved resolution, gain stability, and performance at high-count rates relative to PVT detectors in typical radiation portals. As well as addressing the needs for neutron detection, these characteristics are also desirable for analysis of the gamma-ray spectra. Accurate isotope identification results were obtained despite the common impression that the absence of photopeaks makes data collected by PVT detectors unsuitable for spectroscopic analysis. The PVT detectors in the PVT-NG unit are used for both gamma-ray and neutron detection, so the sensitive volume exceeds the volume of the detection elements in portals that use dedicated components to detect each type of radiation.

  12. {sup 65}Zn and {sup 133}Ba standardizing by photon-photon coincidence counting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loureiro, Jamir S.; Cruz, Paulo A.L. da; Iwahara, Akira; Delgado, José U., E-mail: palcruz@ird.gov.br [Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria (LNMRI/IRD/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Lab. Nacional de Metrologia das Radiações Ionizantes; Lopes, Ricardo T. [Coordenacao de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa de Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear

    2017-07-01

    The LNMRI/Brazil has deployed a system using X-gamma coincidence technique for the standardizing radionuclide, which present simple and complex decay scheme with X-rays of energy below 100 keV. The work was carried on radionuclide metrology laboratory using a sodium iodide detector, for gamma photons, in combination with a high purity germanium detector for X-rays. Samples of {sup 65}Zn and {sup 133}Ba were standardized and the results for both radionuclides showed good precision and accuracy when compared with reference values. The standardization differences were 0.72 % for {sup 65}Zn and 0.48 % for {sup 133}Ba samples. (author)

  13. Dependence of a whole body counting efficiency on body size and composition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venturini, Luzia; Campos, Vicente P.; Berti, Eduardo A.R.

    2001-01-01

    An approach is described to evaluate the counting efficiency dependence, on the geometry measurement and on the material density, for whole body measurement. The counting efficiency is evaluated using Monte Carlo Method to simulate the history of the photons, from its emission to its total absorption or escape from the detector. Theoretical calculations of the counting efficiency are presented for two phantoms of the BOMAB family. The phantoms are considered to be filled with water and with a material constituted as described by Snyder et al. (author)

  14. Dependence of a whole body counting efficiency on body size and composition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venturini, Luzia; Campos, Vicente P.; Berti, Eduardo A.R. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2001-07-01

    An approach is described to evaluate the counting efficiency dependence, on the geometry measurement and on the material density, for whole body measurement. The counting efficiency is evaluated using Monte Carlo Method to simulate the history of the photons, from its emission to its total absorption or escape from the detector. Theoretical calculations of the counting efficiency are presented for two phantoms of the BOMAB family. The phantoms are considered to be filled with water and with a material constituted as described by Snyder et al. (author)

  15. EIGER: Next generation single photon counting detector for X-ray applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dinapoli, Roberto, E-mail: roberto.dinapoli@psi.ch [Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Bergamaschi, Anna; Henrich, Beat; Horisberger, Roland; Johnson, Ian; Mozzanica, Aldo; Schmid, Elmar; Schmitt, Bernd; Schreiber, Akos; Shi, Xintian; Theidel, Gerd [Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

    2011-09-11

    EIGER is an advanced family of single photon counting hybrid pixel detectors, primarily aimed at diffraction experiments at synchrotrons. Optimization of maximal functionality and minimal pixel size (using a 0.25{mu}m process and conserving the radiation tolerant design) has resulted in 75x75{mu}m{sup 2} pixels. Every pixel comprises a preamplifier, shaper, discriminator (with a 6 bit DAC for threshold trimming), a configurable 4/8/12 bit counter with double buffering, as well as readout, control and test circuitry. A novel feature of this chip is its double buffered counter, meaning a next frame can be acquired while the previous one is being readout. An array of 256x256 pixels fits on a {approx}2x2cm{sup 2} chip and a sensor of {approx}8x4cm{sup 2} will be equipped with eight readout chips to form a module containing 0.5 Mpixel. Several modules can then be tiled to form larger area detectors. Detectors up to 4x8 modules (16 Mpixel) are planned. To achieve frame rates of up to 24 kHz the readout architecture is highly parallel, and the chip readout happens in parallel on 32 readout lines with a 100 MHz Double Data Rate clock. Several chips and singles (i.e. a single chip bump-bonded to a single chip silicon sensor) were tested both with a lab X-ray source and at Swiss Light Source (SLS) beamlines. These tests demonstrate the full functionality of the chip and provide a first assessment of its performance. High resolution X-ray images and 'high speed movies' were produced, even without threshold trimming, at the target system frame rates (up to {approx}24kHz in 4 bit mode). In parallel, dedicated hardware, firmware and software had to be developed to comply with the enormous data rate the chip is capable of delivering. Details of the chip design and tests will be given, as well as highlights of both test and final readout systems.

  16. Clinical experience of photon counting breast tomosynthesis: comparison with traditional mammography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Svane, Gunilla; Azavedo, Edward; Lindman, Karin; Urech, Mattias; Nilsson, Jonas; Weber, Niclas; Lindqvist, Lars; Ullberg, Christer

    2011-01-01

    Background: In two-dimensional mammography, a well-known problem is over- and underlying tissue which can either obstruct a lesion or create a false-positive result. Tomosynthesis, with an ability to layer the tissue in the image, has the potential to resolve these issues. Purpose: To compare the diagnostic quality, sensitivity and specificity of a single tomosynthesis mammography image and a traditional two-view set of two-dimensional mammograms and to assess the comfort of the two techniques. Material and Methods: One hundred and forty-four women, mainly chosen because of suspicious features on standard mammograms (76 malignant), had a single tomosynthesis image taken of one breast using a novel photon counting system. On average, the dose of the tomosynthesis images was 0.63 times that of the two-view images and the compression force during the procedure was halved. The resulting images were viewed by two radiologists and assessed both individually and comparing the two techniques. Results: In 56% of the cases the radiologists rated the diagnostic quality of the lesion details higher in the tomosynthesis images than in the conventional images (and in 91% equal or higher), which means there is a statistically significant preference for the tomosynthesis technique. This included the calcifications which were rated as having better quality in 41% of the cases. While sensitivity was slightly higher for traditional mammography the specificity was higher for tomosynthesis. However, neither of these two differences was large enough to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The overall accuracy of the two techniques was virtually equal despite the radiologist's very limited experience with tomosynthesis images and vast experience with two-dimensional mammography. As the diagnostic quality of the lesion details in the tomosynthesis images was valued considerably higher this factor should improve with experience. The patients also favored the tomosynthesis examination

  17. Porous glasses as a matrix for incorporation of photonic materials. Pore determination by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reisfeld, Pore determination by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy R.; Saraidarov, T.; Jasinska, B.

    2004-07-01

    Porous glasses prepared by the sol-gel technique have a variety of applications when incorporated by photonic materials: tunable lasers, sensors, luminescence solar concentrators, semiconductor quantum dots, biological markers. The known methods of pore size determinations, the nitrogen adsorption and mercury porosimetry allow to determine the sizes of open pores. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) allows to determine pore sizes also of closed pores. As an example we have performed measurements of non-doped zirconia-silica-polyurethane (ZSUR) ormocer glasses and the same glasses doped with lead sulfide quantum dots. The pore radii range between 0.25-0.38 nm, total surface area 15.5-23.8 m 2/g.

  18. Spectral and spatial resolution properties of photon counting X-ray detectors like the Medipix-Detector; Spektrale und bildgebende Eigenschaften photonenzaehlender Roentgendetektoren am Beispiel des Medipix-Detektors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Korn, A.

    2007-05-14

    The Medipix detector is a hybrid photon counting X-ray detector, consisting of an ASIC and a semiconducting layer as the sensor. This makes the Medipix a direct converting detector. A special feature of the Medipix is a signal processing circuit in every single pixel. This circuit amplifies the input signal triggered by a photon and then transforms the pulse into a digital signal. This early stage digitalisation is one of the main advantages of the detector, since no dark currents are integrated into the signal. Furthermore, the energy information of each single photon is partly preserved. The high number of pixels lends the detector a wide dynamic range, starting from single counts up to a rate of 1010 photons per cm2 and second. Apart from the many advantages, there are still some problems with the detector. Some effects lead to a deterioration of the energy resolution as well as the spatial resolution. The main reasons for this are two effects occuring in the detector, charge sharing and backscattering inside the detector. This study investigates the influence of those two effects on both the energy and spatial resolution. The physical causes of these effects are delineated and their impact on the detector output is examined. In contrast to high energy photon detectors, the repulsion of the charge carriers drifting inside the sensor must not be neglected in a detailed model of X-ray detectors with an energy range of 5 keV-200 keV. For the simulation of the Medipix using Monte Carlo simulations, the software ROSI was augmented. The added features allow a detailed simulation of the charge distribution, using the relevant physical effects that alter the distribution width during the drift towards the sensor electrodes as well further influences on the detector output, including electronical noise, threshold noise or the geometry of the detector. The measured energy and spatial resolution of several different models of Medipix is compared to the simulated

  19. Graphene-Based Josephson-Junction Single-Photon Detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Evan D.; Efetov, Dmitri K.; Lee, Gil-Ho; Heuck, Mikkel; Crossno, Jesse; Ohki, Thomas A.; Kim, Philip; Englund, Dirk; Fong, Kin Chung

    2017-08-01

    We propose to use graphene-based Josephson junctions (GJJs) to detect single photons in a wide electromagnetic spectrum from visible to radio frequencies. Our approach takes advantage of the exceptionally low electronic heat capacity of monolayer graphene and its constricted thermal conductance to its phonon degrees of freedom. Such a system could provide high-sensitivity photon detection required for research areas including quantum information processing and radio astronomy. As an example, we present our device concepts for GJJ single-photon detectors in both the microwave and infrared regimes. The dark count rate and intrinsic quantum efficiency are computed based on parameters from a measured GJJ, demonstrating feasibility within existing technologies.

  20. Ultrafast photon number resolving detector with a temperature stabilized si multi pixel photon counter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Minsoo; Hong, Eugene; Won, Eunil; Yoon, Tai Hyun

    2008-01-01

    Quantum information science has been rapidly progressed and matured and matured thanks to the recent developments of the single photon detection technologies. Single photon detectors such as a Si avalanche photo diode(APD)in the infrared, an InGaAs/InP APD in the telecommunication band, and a super conducting transient edge sensor(TES)in the broad region of the spectrum have been widely used. Single photon detectors, however, operating at the ultraviolet to visible (370nm∼800nm)regions has not been actively investigated partly due to the lack of single photon and/or entangled photon sources and the lack of solid state single photon detectors. In this paper, we investigate the single photon detection characteristics of a Si multi pixel photon counter(MPPC), which has a high spectral responsivity between 300nm to 800nm, as a photon number resolving solid state detector. Figure 1 shows the schematic diagram of the single photon detection set up at 399nm by using a temperature stabilized Si MPPC. The output beam of the laser being properly attenuated is directed to the MPPC module, at which fixed number of photo electrons corresponding to incident individual photon are generated at Geiger mode of the Si APD pixels. The detected photo current is converted into a digital signal by using a fast analog to digital converter and a digital oscilloscope stores the time sequence of the photo currents. Figure 2 shows the accumulated charges collected by MPPC at∼10.deg.C showing a clear single photon and two photons peaks, respectively, separated by ∼5 sigma of the coincidence counts at the two output ports of a Mach Zender interferometer as a function of optical path length difference. The research was supported by Seoul R and BD program(NT070127)and by the KRISS

  1. Ultrafast photon number resolving detector with a temperature stabilized si multi pixel photon counter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Minsoo; Hong, Eugene; Won, Eunil; Yoon, Tai Hyun [Korea Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-11-15

    Quantum information science has been rapidly progressed and matured and matured thanks to the recent developments of the single photon detection technologies. Single photon detectors such as a Si avalanche photo diode(APD)in the infrared, an InGaAs/InP APD in the telecommunication band, and a super conducting transient edge sensor(TES)in the broad region of the spectrum have been widely used. Single photon detectors, however, operating at the ultraviolet to visible (370nm∼800nm)regions has not been actively investigated partly due to the lack of single photon and/or entangled photon sources and the lack of solid state single photon detectors. In this paper, we investigate the single photon detection characteristics of a Si multi pixel photon counter(MPPC), which has a high spectral responsivity between 300nm to 800nm, as a photon number resolving solid state detector. Figure 1 shows the schematic diagram of the single photon detection set up at 399nm by using a temperature stabilized Si MPPC. The output beam of the laser being properly attenuated is directed to the MPPC module, at which fixed number of photo electrons corresponding to incident individual photon are generated at Geiger mode of the Si APD pixels. The detected photo current is converted into a digital signal by using a fast analog to digital converter and a digital oscilloscope stores the time sequence of the photo currents. Figure 2 shows the accumulated charges collected by MPPC at∼10.deg.C showing a clear single photon and two photons peaks, respectively, separated by ∼5 sigma of the coincidence counts at the two output ports of a Mach Zender interferometer as a function of optical path length difference. The research was supported by Seoul R and BD program(NT070127)and by the KRISS.

  2. Effect of the wire width and magnetic field on the detection efficiency of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors; Einfluss von Geometrie und magnetischem Feld auf die Effizienz supraleitender Nanodraht-Einzelphotonendetektoren

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lusche, Robert

    2015-06-24

    The aim of this thesis is to a gain deeper understanding of the single photon detection process in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). A detailed knowledge of the physical principles and mechanisms which the detection process is based on helps to improve specific detector parameters and hence the suitability of such detectors for various applications. Several theoretical models of the detection process have been compared to the results of measurements of photon and dark count rates in meander-type TaN- and NbN-SNSPDs with different wire-widths in a broad range of wavelengths, transport currents and magnetic fields. In the first part of the thesis, measurements of the photon and dark count rates of TaN- and NbN-SNSPDs with varying wire width are described. For each meander spectra of the intrinsic detection efficiency (IDE) were derived. The IDE represents the probability that the SNSPD generates a measurable voltage pulse upon absorption of a photon. The recorded IDE spectra have shown a characteristic cut-off wavelength up to which photons were detected with a probability of 100 per cent. Furthermore it was found that the cut-off wavelengths increases linearly with the increase in the inverse wire width. This observation is best explained by the refined hot spot model. The second part of the thesis describes the influence of magnetic field on the photon and dark count rates of NbN-SNSPDs. In order to apply magnetic fields to the meanders a continuous-flow inset for mobile 4He storage dewars was constructed. It was shown for the first time, that the photon count rate exhibits a magnetic field dependence. Furthermore it could be shown that the measured dependence of the photon and dark count rate on the magnetic field is in good agreement with the theoretical model of vortex-assisted photon detection in narrow superconducting lines. Hence, within this thesis it could be confirmed that magnetic vortices are involved in the single photon

  3. Sensitivity of near-infrared spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy to brain hemodynamics: simulations and experimental findings during hypercapnia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selb, Juliette; Boas, David A.; Chan, Suk-Tak; Evans, Karleyton C.; Buckley, Erin M.; Carp, Stefan A.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) are two diffuse optical technologies for brain imaging that are sensitive to changes in hemoglobin concentrations and blood flow, respectively. Measurements for both modalities are acquired on the scalp, and therefore hemodynamic processes in the extracerebral vasculature confound the interpretation of cortical hemodynamic signals. The sensitivity of NIRS to the brain versus the extracerebral tissue and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of NIRS to cerebral hemodynamic responses have been well characterized, but the same has not been evaluated for DCS. This is important to assess in order to understand their relative capabilities in measuring cerebral physiological changes. We present Monte Carlo simulations on a head model that demonstrate that the relative brain-to-scalp sensitivity is about three times higher for DCS (0.3 at 3 cm) than for NIRS (0.1 at 3 cm). However, because DCS has higher levels of noise due to photon-counting detection, the CNR is similar for both modalities in response to a physiologically realistic simulation of brain activation. Even so, we also observed higher CNR of the hemodynamic response during graded hypercapnia in adult subjects with DCS than with NIRS. PMID:25453036

  4. Spaceborne Photonics Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venable, D. D.; Farrukh, U. O.; Han, K. S.; Hwang, I. H.; Jalufka, N. W.; Lowe, C. W.; Tabibi, B. M.; Lee, C. J.; Lyons, D.; Maclin, A.

    1994-01-01

    This report describes in chronological detail the development of the Spaceborne Photonics Institute as a sustained research effort at Hampton University in the area of optical physics. This provided the research expertise to initiate a PhD program in Physics. Research was carried out in the areas of: (1) modelling of spaceborne solid state laser systems; (2) amplified spontaneous emission in solar pumped iodine lasers; (3) closely simulated AM0 CW solar pumped iodine laser and repeatedly short pulsed iodine laser oscillator; (4) a materials spectroscopy and growth program; and (5) laser induced fluorescence and atomic and molecular spectroscopy.

  5. Comparison of photon correlation spectroscopy with photosedimentation analysis for the determination of aqueous colloid size distributions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, Terry F.

    1990-01-01

    Colloidal materials, dispersed phases with dimensions between 0.001 and 1 μm, are potential transport media for a variety of contaminants in surface and ground water. Characterization of these colloids, and identification of the parameters that control their movement, are necessary before transport simulations can be attempted. Two techniques that can be used to determine the particle-size distribution of colloidal materials suspended in natural waters are compared. Photon correlation Spectroscopy (PCS) utilizes the Doppler frequency shift of photons scattered off particles undergoing Brownian motion to determine the size of colloids suspended in water. Photosedimentation analysis (PSA) measures the time-dependent change in optical density of a suspension of colloidal particles undergoing centrifugation. A description of both techniques, important underlying assumptions, and limitations are given. Results for a series of river water samples show that the colloid-size distribution means are statistically identical as determined by both techniques. This also is true of the mass median diameter (MMD), even though MMD values determined by PSA are consistently smaller than those determined by PCS. Because of this small negative bias, the skew parameters for the distributions are generally smaller for the PCS-determined distributions than for the PSA-determined distributions. Smaller polydispersity indices for the distributions are also determined by PCS.

  6. Photon-HDF5: An Open File Format for Timestamp-Based Single-Molecule Fluorescence Experiments

    OpenAIRE

    Ingargiola, Antonino; Laurence, Ted; Boutelle, Robert; Weiss, Shimon; Michalet, Xavier

    2016-01-01

    We introduce Photon-HDF5, an open and efficient file format to simplify exchange and long-term accessibility of data from single-molecule fluorescence experiments based on photon-counting detectors such as single-photon avalanche diode, photomultiplier tube, or arrays of such detectors. The format is based on HDF5, a widely used platform- and language-independent hierarchical file format for which user-friendly viewers are available. Photon-HDF5 can store raw photon data (timestamp, channel n...

  7. Femtosecond Laser--Pumped Source of Entangled Photons for Quantum Cryptography Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, D.; Donaldson, W.; Sobolewski, R.

    2007-01-01

    We present an experimental setup for generation of entangled-photon pairs via spontaneous parametric down-conversion, based on the femtosecond-pulsed laser. Our entangled-photon source utilizes a 76-MHz-repetition-rate, 100-fs-pulse-width, mode-locked, ultrafast femtosecond laser, which can produce, on average, more photon pairs than a cw laser of an equal pump power. The resulting entangled pairs are counted by a pair of high-quantum-efficiency, single-photon, silicon avalanche photodiodes. Our apparatus s intended as an efficient source/receiver system for the quantum communications and quantum cryptography applications

  8. Reconstruction of photon number conditioned states using phase randomized homodyne measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrzanowski, H M; Assad, S M; Bernu, J; Hage, B; Lam, P K; Symul, T; Lund, A P; Ralph, T C

    2013-01-01

    We experimentally demonstrate the reconstruction of a photon number conditioned state without using a photon number discriminating detector. By using only phase randomized homodyne measurements, we reconstruct up to the three photon subtracted squeezed vacuum state. The reconstructed Wigner functions of these states show regions of pronounced negativity, signifying the non-classical nature of the reconstructed states. The techniques presented allow for complete characterization of the role of a conditional measurement on an ensemble of states, and might prove useful in systems where photon counting still proves technically challenging. (paper)

  9. Loss-Free Counting with Digital Signal Processors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markku Koskelo; Dave Hall; Martin Moslinger

    2000-01-01

    Loss-free-counting (LFC) techniques have frequently been used with traditional analog pulse processing systems to compensate for the time or pulses lost when a spectroscopy system is unavailable (busy) for processing an accepted pulse. With the availability of second-generation digital signal processing (DSP) electronics that offer a significantly improved performance for both high and low count rate applications, the LFC technique has been revisited. Specific attention was given to the high and ultra-high count rate behavior, using high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors with both transistor reset preamplifiers (TRP) and conventional RC preamplifiers. The experiments conducted for this work show that the known LFC techniques further benefit when combined with modern DSP pulse shaping

  10. Upgrading a high-throughput spectrometer for high-frequency (<400 kHz) measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishizawa, T.; Nornberg, M. D.; Den Hartog, D. J.; Craig, D.

    2016-11-01

    The upgraded spectrometer used for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on the Madison Symmetric Torus resolves emission fluctuations up to 400 kHz. The transimpedance amplifier's cutoff frequency was increased based upon simulations comparing the change in the measured photon counts for time-dynamic signals. We modeled each signal-processing stage of the diagnostic and scanned the filtering frequency to quantify the uncertainty in the photon counting rate. This modeling showed that uncertainties can be calculated based on assuming each amplification stage is a Poisson process and by calibrating the photon counting rate with a DC light source to address additional variation.

  11. Upgrading a high-throughput spectrometer for high-frequency (<400 kHz) measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishizawa, T.; Nornberg, M. D.; Den Hartog, D. J.; Craig, D.

    2016-01-01

    The upgraded spectrometer used for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on the Madison Symmetric Torus resolves emission fluctuations up to 400 kHz. The transimpedance amplifier’s cutoff frequency was increased based upon simulations comparing the change in the measured photon counts for time-dynamic signals. We modeled each signal-processing stage of the diagnostic and scanned the filtering frequency to quantify the uncertainty in the photon counting rate. This modeling showed that uncertainties can be calculated based on assuming each amplification stage is a Poisson process and by calibrating the photon counting rate with a DC light source to address additional variation.

  12. Upgrading a high-throughput spectrometer for high-frequency (<400 kHz) measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nishizawa, T., E-mail: nishizawa@wisc.edu; Nornberg, M. D.; Den Hartog, D. J. [University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Craig, D. [Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois 60187 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    The upgraded spectrometer used for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on the Madison Symmetric Torus resolves emission fluctuations up to 400 kHz. The transimpedance amplifier’s cutoff frequency was increased based upon simulations comparing the change in the measured photon counts for time-dynamic signals. We modeled each signal-processing stage of the diagnostic and scanned the filtering frequency to quantify the uncertainty in the photon counting rate. This modeling showed that uncertainties can be calculated based on assuming each amplification stage is a Poisson process and by calibrating the photon counting rate with a DC light source to address additional variation.

  13. Nonclassicality of Photon-Added Displaced Thermal State via Quantum Phase-Space Distributions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ran; Meng, Xiang-Guo; Du, Chuan-Xun; Wang, Ji-Suo

    2018-02-01

    We introduce a new kind of nonclassical mixed state generated by adding arbitrary photons to a displaced thermal state, i.e., the photon-added displaced thermal state (PADTS), and obtain the normalization factor, which is simply related to two-variable Hermite polynomials. We also discuss the nonclassicality of the PADTS by considering quantum phase-space distributions. The results indicate that the value of the photon count statistics is maximum when the number of detected photons is equal to the number of added photons, and that the photon-added operation has a similar modulation effect with increasing displacement. Moreover, the negative volume of the Wigner function for the PADTS takes a maximal value for a specific photon-added number.

  14. Optics of globular photonic crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorelik, V S

    2007-01-01

    The results of experimental and theoretical studies of the optical properties of globular photonic crystals - new physical objects having a crystal structure with the lattice period exceeding considerably the atomic size, are presented. As globular photonic crystals, artificial opal matrices consisting of close-packed silica globules of diameter ∼200 nm were used. The reflection spectra of these objects characterising the parameters of photonic bands existing in these crystals in the visible spectral region are presented. The idealised models of the energy band structure of photonic crystals investigated in the review give analytic dispersion dependences for the group velocity and the effective photon mass in a globular photonic crystal. The characteristics of secondary emission excited in globular photonic crystals by monochromatic and broadband radiation are presented. The results of investigations of single-photon-excited delayed scattering of light observed in globular photonic crystals exposed to cw UV radiation and radiation from a repetitively pulsed copper vapour laser are presented. The possibilities of using globular photonic crystals as active media for lasing in different spectral regions are considered. It is proposed to use globular photonic crystals as sensitive sensors in optoelectronic devices for molecular analysis of organic and inorganic materials by the modern methods of laser spectroscopy. The results of experimental studies of spontaneous and stimulated globular scattering of light are discussed. The conditions for observing resonance and two-photon-excited delayed scattering of light are found. The possibility of accumulation and localisation of the laser radiation energy inside a globular photonic crystal is reported. (review)

  15. Radiobiological characterization of different energy-photon beams used in radiotherapy from linear accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elata, A.; Hassan, A. M. E.; Ali, E.; Calzolari, P.; Bettega, D.

    2009-02-01

    The main objective of this study was to perform a radiobiological characterization of different energy photon beams (6 MV and 15 MV) from linear accelerator used in radiotherapy, and comparison of different treatment modalities, with special regard to late effects of radiation. Using two end points, cell survival and micronucleus induction, in the biological system (Chines hamster V79 cell line). Chromosomes number was counted and found to be 22 chromosomes per cell. Cells were kept in confluent growth for two days and then exposed to two photon beams and immediately after irradiation were counted and re seeded in different numbered for each dose. For evaluation of surviving fraction samples were incubated at 37o C for 6 days, five samples were counted for each dose. At the same time three samples were seeded for the micronuclei frequency and incubated at 37o C after 24 hours cytochalasin-B was added to block cells in cytokinesis. The survival curve showed similar curves for the two beams and decreased with dose. The micronuclei frequency was positively correlated with dose and the energy of the photon. This indicates the presence of low dose of photoneutrons produced by using high energy photon beams. (Author)

  16. Study of the mixed alkali effect in lithium and sodium metaphosphate glass-forming liquids by photon correlation spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Changstrom, J R; Sidebottom, D L

    2008-01-01

    We report results of an extensive study of the structural relaxation occurring in mixed alkali metaphosphate liquids obtained by photon correlation spectroscopy. Values for the glass transition temperature, the fragility index, and the heterogeneity parameter (also known as the Kohlrausch exponent) are extracted from the measurements and are all shown to exhibit a mixed alkali effect wherein nonlinear variations with mixing occur. The depression in the glass transition temperature is shown to be the direct result of mechanical relaxations, present in the solid, which prematurely loosen the glass structure. A minimum in the fragility index is believed to be an artifact of the resulting depression of the glass transition temperature

  17. Quantifying the number of color centers in single fluorescent nanodiamonds by photon correlation spectroscopy and Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hui, Y.Y.; Chang, Y.-R.; Lee, H.-Y.; Chang, H.-C.; Lim, T.-S.; Fann Wunshain

    2009-01-01

    The number of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers (N-V) - in fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) has been determined by photon correlation spectroscopy and Monte Carlo simulations at the single particle level. By taking account of the random dipole orientation of the multiple (N-V) - fluorophores and simulating the probability distribution of their effective numbers (N e ), we found that the actual number (N a ) of the fluorophores is in linear correlation with N e , with correction factors of 1.8 and 1.2 in measurements using linearly and circularly polarized lights, respectively. We determined N a =8±1 for 28 nm FND particles prepared by 3 MeV proton irradiation

  18. Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) in CMOS 0.35 µm technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pellion, D.; Jradi, K.; Brochard, N. [Le2i – CNRS/Univ. de Bourgogne, Dijon (France); Prêle, D. [APC – CNRS/Univ. Paris Diderot, Paris (France); Ginhac, D. [Le2i – CNRS/Univ. de Bourgogne, Dijon (France)

    2015-07-01

    Some decades ago single photon detection used to be the terrain of photomultiplier tube (PMT), thanks to its characteristics of sensitivity and speed. However, PMT has several disadvantages such as low quantum efficiency, overall dimensions, and cost, making them unsuitable for compact design of integrated systems. So, the past decade has seen a dramatic increase in interest in new integrated single-photon detectors called Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) or Geiger-mode APD. SPAD are working in avalanche mode above the breakdown level. When an incident photon is captured, a very fast avalanche is triggered, generating an easily detectable current pulse. This paper discusses SPAD detectors fabricated in a standard CMOS technology featuring both single-photon sensitivity, and excellent timing resolution, while guaranteeing a high integration. In this work, we investigate the design of SPAD detectors using the AMS 0.35 µm CMOS Opto technology. Indeed, such standard CMOS technology allows producing large surface (few mm{sup 2}) of single photon sensitive detectors. Moreover, SPAD in CMOS technologies could be associated to electronic readout such as active quenching, digital to analog converter, memories and any specific processing required to build efficient calorimeters (Silicon PhotoMultiplier – SiPM) or high resolution imagers (SPAD imager). The present work investigates SPAD geometry. MOS transistor has been used instead of resistor to adjust the quenching resistance and find optimum value. From this first set of results, a detailed study of the dark count rate (DCR) has been conducted. Our results show a dark count rate increase with the size of the photodiodes and the temperature (at T=22.5 °C, the DCR of a 10 µm-photodiode is 2020 count s{sup −1} while it is 270 count s{sup −1} at T=−40 °C for a overvoltage of 800 mV). A small pixel size is desirable, because the DCR per unit area decreases with the pixel size. We also found that the adjustment

  19. Design considerations of high-performance InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche diodes for quantum key distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jian; Bai, Bing; Wang, Liu-Jun; Tong, Cun-Zhu; Jin, Ge; Zhang, Jun; Pan, Jian-Wei

    2016-09-20

    InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are widely used in practical applications requiring near-infrared photon counting such as quantum key distribution (QKD). Photon detection efficiency and dark count rate are the intrinsic parameters of InGaAs/InP SPADs, due to the fact that their performances cannot be improved using different quenching electronics given the same operation conditions. After modeling these parameters and developing a simulation platform for InGaAs/InP SPADs, we investigate the semiconductor structure design and optimization. The parameters of photon detection efficiency and dark count rate highly depend on the variables of absorption layer thickness, multiplication layer thickness, excess bias voltage, and temperature. By evaluating the decoy-state QKD performance, the variables for SPAD design and operation can be globally optimized. Such optimization from the perspective of specific applications can provide an effective approach to design high-performance InGaAs/InP SPADs.

  20. Developments in inverse photoemission spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheils, W.; Leckey, R.C.G.; Riley, J.D.

    1996-01-01

    In the 1950's and 1960's, Photoemission Spectroscopy (PES) established itself as the major technique for the study of the occupied electronic energy levels of solids. During this period the field divided into two branches: X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) for photon energies greater than ∼l000eV, and Ultra-violet Photoemission Spectroscopy (UPS) for photon energies below ∼100eV. By the 1970's XPS and UPS had become mature techniques. Like XPS, BIS (at x-ray energies) does not have the momentum-resolving ability of UPS that has contributed much to the understanding of the occupied band structures of solids. BIS moved into a new energy regime in 1977 when Dose employed a Geiger-Mueller tube to obtain density of unoccupied states data from a tantalum sample at a photon energy of ∼9.7eV. At similar energies, the technique has since become known as Inverse Photoemission Spectroscopy (IPS), in acknowledgment of its complementary relationship to UPS and to distinguish it from the higher energy BIS. Drawing on decades of UPS expertise, IPS has quickly moved into areas of interest where UPS has been applied; metals, semiconductors, layer compounds, adsorbates, ferromagnets, and superconductors. At La Trobe University an IPS facility has been constructed. This presentation reports on developments in the experimental and analytical techniques of IPS that have been made there. The results of a study of the unoccupied bulk and surface bands of GaAs are presented

  1. Photonics education development for electrical engineering students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Yang; Luo, Yuan; Liu, Yu; Hu, ZhangFang; Cai, Xuemei

    2017-08-01

    We describe the contents of an advanced undergraduate course on photonics at School of Electrical Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications. The main goal of the course is to equip the student with the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge to participate in photonics-related industry and further graduate level study and research if they choose. The prerequisites include college-level physics and higher mathematics which a general engineering student has already had in his/her first and second year college study. Although applications of photonics are ubiquitous such as telecommunications, photonic computing, spectroscopy, military technology, and biophotonics etc. Telecommunication information system application is more emphasized in our course considering about the potential job chances for our students.

  2. Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of ciprofloxacin: Investigation of the protonation site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bodo, E. [Dip. Di Chimica, Universita di Roma ' La Sapienza' , p.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome (Italy); Ciavardini, A. [Dip. di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Universita di Roma ' ' La Sapienza' ' , p.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome (Italy); Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Universita di Roma ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome (Italy); Giardini, A.; Paladini, A. [CNR - IMIP, Tito Scalo (PZ) (Italy); Piccirillo, S., E-mail: picciril@uniroma2.it [Dip. di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Universita di Roma ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome (Italy); Rondino, F. [ENEA, C.R. Casaccia, (UTT-MAT), Via Anguillarese, 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); Scuderi, D. [Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, Universite Paris Sud 11, UMR 8000, Orsay (France)

    2012-04-04

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer IRMPD spectroscopy of protonated ciprofloxacin electrosprayed from methanol solution. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quantum chemical calculations to identify the possible isomers differing in the protonation site. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bands are assigned to the isomer protonated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bands are assigned to the isomer protonated at the piperazinyl amino group. - Abstract: The vibrational spectrum of isolated protonated ciprofloxacin was recorded in the range 1100-2000 cm{sup -1} by means of infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy. The spectrum was obtained by electrospraying a methanol solution of ciprofloxacin in a Paul ion trap, coupled to the tunable IR radiation of a free electron laser. This spectroscopic study has been complemented by quantum chemical calculations at the DFT and MP2 levels of theory to identify the possible structures present under our experimental conditions. Several low-energy isomers with protonation occurring at the piperazinyl amino group and at the carbonyl group are predicted in the energy range 0-84 kJ mol{sup -1}. A good agreement between the measured IRMPD spectrum and the calculated absorption spectrum is observed for the isomer protonated at the piperazinyl amino group. This isomer is calculated at MP2 level of theory to lie about 76 kJ/mol above the most stable isomer which is protonated at the quinone carbonyl group. This discrepancy can be rationalized by assuming that the protonation at the piperazinyl amino group, typical of the zwitterionic form that is found in protic solvents, is retained in the ESI process. The vibrational bands observed in the IRMPD spectrum are assigned to normal modes of the isomer protonated at the piperazinyl amino group, with deviations of less than 20 cm{sup -1} between measured and calculated frequencies.

  3. Noise-free high-efficiency photon-number-resolving detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosenberg, Danna; Lita, Adriana E.; Miller, Aaron J.; Nam, Sae Woo

    2005-01-01

    High-efficiency optical detectors that can determine the number of photons in a pulse of monochromatic light have applications in a variety of physics studies, including post-selection-based entanglement protocols for linear optics quantum computing and experiments that simultaneously close the detection and communication loopholes of Bell's inequalities. Here we report on our demonstration of fiber-coupled, noise-free, photon-number-resolving transition-edge sensors with 88% efficiency at 1550 nm. The efficiency of these sensors could be made even higher at any wavelength in the visible and near-infrared spectrum without resulting in a higher dark-count rate or degraded photon-number resolution

  4. Design Considerations for Area-Constrained In-Pixel Photon Counting in Medipix3

    CERN Document Server

    Wong, W; Campbell, M; Heijne, E H M; Llopart, X; Tlustos, L

    2008-01-01

    Hybrid pixel detectors process impinging photons using front-end electronics electrically connected to a segmented sensor via solder bumps. This allows for complex in-pixel processing while maintaining 100% fill factor. Medipix3 is a single photon processing chip whose 55 μm x 55 μm pixels contain analog charge-processing circuits, inter-pixel routing, and digital blocks. While a standard digital design flow would use logic gates from a standard cell library, the integration of multiple functions and configurations within the compact area of the Medipix3 pixel requires a full-custom manual layout. This work describes the various area-saving design strategies which were employed to optimize the use of available space in the digital section of the Medipix3 pixel.

  5. Single photon core ionization with core excitation: a new spectroscopic tool

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Penent, F; Carniato, S; Lablanquie, P; Selles, P; Palaudoux, J; Andric, L; Žitnik, M; Bučar, K; Shigemasa, E; Nakano, M; Ito, K; Hikosaka, Y

    2015-01-01

    The simultaneous core ionization and core excitation process (or K -2 V process) induced by absorption of a single photon provides the basis of a new spectroscopy that offers both advantages of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structures (NEXAFS) spectroscopy (paper)

  6. Performance of three-photon PET imaging: Monte Carlo simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kacperski, Krzysztof; Spyrou, Nicholas M

    2005-01-01

    We have recently introduced the idea of making use of three-photon positron annihilations in positron emission tomography. In this paper, the basic characteristics of the three-gamma imaging in PET are studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations and analytical computations. Two typical configurations of human and small animal scanners are considered. Three-photon imaging requires high-energy resolution detectors. Parameters currently attainable by CdZnTe semiconductor detectors, the technology of choice for the future development of radiation imaging, are assumed. Spatial resolution is calculated as a function of detector energy resolution and size, position in the field of view, scanner size and the energies of the three-gamma annihilation photons. Possible ways to improve the spatial resolution obtained for nominal parameters, 1.5 cm and 3.2 mm FWHM for human and small animal scanners, respectively, are indicated. Counting rates of true and random three-photon events for typical human and small animal scanning configurations are assessed. A simple formula for minimum size of lesions detectable in the three-gamma based images is derived. Depending on the contrast and total number of registered counts, lesions of a few mm size for human and sub mm for small animal scanners can be detected

  7. Application of X-ray spectroscopy in nondestructive photon activation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weise, H.-P.; Segebade, Chr.

    1977-01-01

    The use of X-ray spectroscopy for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of samples activated by 30 MeV bremsstrahlung from an electron linear accelerator. Detection limits are calculated from the measured X-ray spectra and compared with those for γ-ray spectroscopy. In general, the detection limits for γ-ray and X-ray spectroscopy are comparable. Higher sensitivities for X-ray spectroscopy are observed when only low intensity γ-rays are emitted by the activation products. X-ray spectroscopy should be applied in three cases: (a) low γ-ray emission probability, (b) extremely complicated γ-ray spectrum, (c) overlapping of γ-ray lines from different elements. γ-ray spectroscopy should be preferred for the analysis of light elements for two reasons: very strong absorption of low energy X-rays (low Z) within the sample, low X-ray emission probability for the activation products of light elements. Therefore no attempt was made to use X-ray spectroscopy for the analysis of elements below Ti. Some practical applications of X-ray spectroscopy in nondestructive multielement analysis are quoted. (T.G.)

  8. Electric field measurements in a hollow cathode discharge by two-photon polarization spectroscopy of atomic deuterium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosa, M I de la; Perez, C; Gruetzmacher, K; Gonzalo, A B; Steiger, A

    2006-01-01

    The local electric field strength (E-field) is an important parameter to be known in low pressure plasmas such as glow discharges, RF and microwave discharges, plasma boundaries in tokamaks etc. In this paper, we demonstrate, for the first time, the potential of two-photon polarization spectroscopy measuring the E-field in the cathode fall region of a hollow cathode discharge, via Doppler-free spectra of the Stark splitting of the 2S level of atomic deuterium. Electric field strength is determined in the range from 2 to 5 kV cm -1 . Compared with LIF, this method has several advantages: it is not affected by background radiation, it can be applied without limitation at elevated pressure and it allows simultaneous measurement of absolute local atomic ground state densities of hydrogen isotopes

  9. Coherent Quantum Control of Multidimensional Vibrational Spectroscopy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Mukamel, Shaul; Sanda, Frantisek; Harbola, Upendra; Venkatramani, Ravi; Varonine, Dmitri

    2006-01-01

    .... Factorial moments of photon counting statistics from a single molecule coupled to a quantum bath were expressed in terms of multipoint quantum correlation functions and represented by double-sided Feynman diagrams...

  10. Memory effect in gated single-photon avalanche diodes: a limiting noise contribution similar to afterpulsing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Contini, D.; Dalla Mora, A.; Di Sieno, L.; Cubeddu, R.; Tosi, A.; Boso, G.; Pifferi, A.

    2013-03-01

    In recent years, emerging applications, such as diffuse optical imaging and spectroscopy (e.g., functional brain imaging and optical mammography), in which a wide dynamic range is crucial, have turned the interest towards Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD). In these fields, the use of a fast-gated SPAD has proven to be a successful technique to increase the measurement sensitivity of different orders of magnitude. However, an unknown background noise has been observed at high illumination during the gate-OFF time, thus setting a limit to the maximum increase of the dynamic range. In this paper we describe this noise in thin-junction silicon single-photon avalanche diode when a large amount of photons reaches the gated detector during the OFF time preceding the enabling time. This memory effect increases the background noise with respect to primary dark count rate similarly to a classical afterpulsing process, but differently it is not related to a previous avalanche ignition in the detector. We discovered that memory effect increases linearly with the power of light impinging on the detector and it has an exponential trend with time constants far different from those of afterpulsing and independently of the bias voltage applied to the junction. For these reasons, the memory effect is not due to the same trapping states of afterpulsing and must be described as a different process.

  11. Cerenkov counting and Cerenkov-scintillation counting with high refractive index organic liquids using a liquid scintillation counter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiebe, L.I.; Helus, F.; Maier-Borst, W.

    1978-01-01

    18 F and 14 C radioactivity was measured in methyl salicylate (MS), a high refractive index hybrid Cherenkov-scintillation generating medium, using a liquid scintillation counter. At concentrations of up to 21.4%, in MS, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) quenched 14 C fluorescence, and with a 10-fold excess of DMSO over MS, 18 F count rates were reduced below that for DMSO alone, probably as a result of concentration-independent self-quenching due to 'dark-complex' formation. DMSO in lower concentrations did not reduce the counting efficiency of 18 F in MS. Nitrobenzene was a concentration-dependent quencher for both 14 C and 18 F in MS. Chlorobenzene (CB) and DMSO were both found to be weak Cherenkov generators with 18 F. Counting efficiencies for 18 F in MS, CB, and DMSO were 50.3, 7.8 and 4.3% respectively in the coincidence counting mode, and 58.1, 13.0 and 6.8% in the singles mode. 14 C efficiencies were 14.4 and 22.3% for coincidence and singles respectively, and 15.3 and 42.0% using a modern counter designed for coincidence and single photon counting. The high 14 C and 18 F counting efficiency in MS are discussed with respect to excitation mechanism, on the basis of quench and channels ratios changes observed. It is proposed that MS functions as an efficient Cherenkov-scintillation generator for high-energy beta emitters such as 18 F, and as a low-efficiency scintillator for weak beta emitting radionuclides such as 14 C. (author)

  12. a Study of the Concentration Dependence of Macromolecular Diffusion Using Photon Correlation Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlowe, Robert Lloyd

    The dynamic light scattering technique of photon correlation spectroscopy has been used to investigate the dependence of the mutual diffusion coefficient of a macromolecular system upon concentration. The first part of the research was devoted to the design and construction of a single-clipping autocorrelator based on newly-developed integrated circuits. The resulting 128 channel instrument can perform real time autocorrelation for sample time intervals >(, )10 (mu)s, and batch processed autocorrelation for intervals down to 3 (mu)s. An improved design for a newer, all-digital autocorrelator is given. Homodyne light scattering experiments were then undertaken on monodisperse solutions of polystyrene spheres. The single-mode TEM(,oo) beam of an argon-ion laser ((lamda) = 5145 (ANGSTROM)) was used as the light source; all solutions were studied at room temperature. The scattering angle was varied from 30(DEGREES) to 110(DEGREES). Excellent agreement with the manufacturer's specification for the particle size was obtained from the photon correlation studies. Finally, aqueous solutions of the globular protein ovalbumin, ranging in concentration from 18.9 to 244.3 mg/ml, were illuminated under the same conditions of temperature and wavelength as before; the homodyne scattered light was detected at a fixed scattering angle of 30(DEGREES). The single-clipped photocount autocorrelation function was analyzed using the homodyne exponential integral method of Meneely et al. The resulting diffusion coefficients showed a general linear dependence upon concentration, as predicted by the generalized Stokes-Einstein equation. However, a clear peak in the data was evident at c (TURNEQ) 100 mg/ml, which could not be explained on the basis of a non -interacting particle theory. A semi-quantitative approach based on the Debye-Huckel theory of electrostatic interactions is suggested as the probable cause for the peak's rise, and an excluded volume effect for its decline.

  13. 18k Channels single photon counting readout circuit for hybrid pixel detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maj, P.; Grybos, P.; Szczygiel, R.; Zoladz, M.; Sakumura, T.; Tsuji, Y.

    2013-01-01

    We have performed measurements of an integrated circuit named PXD18k designed for hybrid pixel semiconductor detectors used in X-ray imaging applications. The PXD18k integrated circuit, fabricated in CMOS 180 nm technology, has dimensions of 9.64 mm×20 mm and contains approximately 26 million transistors. The core of the IC is a matrix of 96×192 pixels with 100 μm×100 μm pixel size. Each pixel works in a single photon counting mode. A single pixel contains two charge sensitive amplifiers with Krummenacher feedback scheme, two shapers, two discriminators (with independent thresholds A and B) and two 16-bit ripple counters. The data are read out via eight low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) outputs with 100 Mbps rate. The power consumption is dominated by analog blocks and it is about 23 μW/pixel. The effective peaking time at the discriminator input is 30 ns and is mainly determined by the time constants of the charge sensitive amplifier (CSA). The gain is equal to 42.5 μV/e − and the equivalent noise charge is 168 e − rms (with bump-bonded silicon pixel detector). Thanks to the use of trim DACs in each pixel, the effective threshold spread at the discriminator input is only 1.79 mV. The dead time of the front end electronics for a standard setting is 172 ns (paralyzable model). In the standard readout mode (when the data collection time is separated from the time necessary to readout data from the chip) the PXD18k IC works with two energy thresholds per pixel. The PXD18k can also be operated in the continuous readout mode (with a zero dead time) where one can select the number of bits readout from each pixel to optimize the PXD18k frame rate. For example, for reading out 16 bits/pixel the frame rate is 2.7 kHz and for 4 bits/pixel it rises to 7.1 kHz.

  14. 18k Channels single photon counting readout circuit for hybrid pixel detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maj, P., E-mail: piotr.maj@agh.edu.pl [AGH University of Science and Technology, Department of Measurements and Electronics, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Grybos, P.; Szczygiel, R.; Zoladz, M. [AGH University of Science and Technology, Department of Measurements and Electronics, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Sakumura, T.; Tsuji, Y. [X-ray Analysis Division, Rigaku Corporation, Matsubara, Akishima, Tokyo 196-8666 (Japan)

    2013-01-01

    We have performed measurements of an integrated circuit named PXD18k designed for hybrid pixel semiconductor detectors used in X-ray imaging applications. The PXD18k integrated circuit, fabricated in CMOS 180 nm technology, has dimensions of 9.64 mm Multiplication-Sign 20 mm and contains approximately 26 million transistors. The core of the IC is a matrix of 96 Multiplication-Sign 192 pixels with 100 {mu}m Multiplication-Sign 100 {mu}m pixel size. Each pixel works in a single photon counting mode. A single pixel contains two charge sensitive amplifiers with Krummenacher feedback scheme, two shapers, two discriminators (with independent thresholds A and B) and two 16-bit ripple counters. The data are read out via eight low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) outputs with 100 Mbps rate. The power consumption is dominated by analog blocks and it is about 23 {mu}W/pixel. The effective peaking time at the discriminator input is 30 ns and is mainly determined by the time constants of the charge sensitive amplifier (CSA). The gain is equal to 42.5 {mu}V/e{sup -} and the equivalent noise charge is 168 e{sup -} rms (with bump-bonded silicon pixel detector). Thanks to the use of trim DACs in each pixel, the effective threshold spread at the discriminator input is only 1.79 mV. The dead time of the front end electronics for a standard setting is 172 ns (paralyzable model). In the standard readout mode (when the data collection time is separated from the time necessary to readout data from the chip) the PXD18k IC works with two energy thresholds per pixel. The PXD18k can also be operated in the continuous readout mode (with a zero dead time) where one can select the number of bits readout from each pixel to optimize the PXD18k frame rate. For example, for reading out 16 bits/pixel the frame rate is 2.7 kHz and for 4 bits/pixel it rises to 7.1 kHz.

  15. A laboratory-based hard x-ray monochromator for high-resolution x-ray emission spectroscopy and x-ray absorption near edge structure measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seidler, G. T., E-mail: seidler@uw.edu; Mortensen, D. R.; Remesnik, A. J.; Pacold, J. I.; Ball, N. A.; Barry, N.; Styczinski, M.; Hoidn, O. R. [Physics Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1560 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    We report the development of a laboratory-based Rowland-circle monochromator that incorporates a low power x-ray (bremsstrahlung) tube source, a spherically bent crystal analyzer, and an energy-resolving solid-state detector. This relatively inexpensive, introductory level instrument achieves 1-eV energy resolution for photon energies of ∼5 keV to ∼10 keV while also demonstrating a net efficiency previously seen only in laboratory monochromators having much coarser energy resolution. Despite the use of only a compact, air-cooled 10 W x-ray tube, we find count rates for nonresonant x-ray emission spectroscopy comparable to those achieved at monochromatized spectroscopy beamlines at synchrotron light sources. For x-ray absorption near edge structure, the monochromatized flux is small (due to the use of a low-powered x-ray generator) but still useful for routine transmission-mode studies of concentrated samples. These results indicate that upgrading to a standard commercial high-power line-focused x-ray tube or rotating anode x-ray generator would result in monochromatized fluxes of order 10{sup 6}–10{sup 7} photons/s with no loss in energy resolution. This work establishes core technical capabilities for a rejuvenation of laboratory-based hard x-ray spectroscopies that could have special relevance for contemporary research on catalytic or electrical energy storage systems using transition-metal, lanthanide, or noble-metal active species.

  16. Material decomposition and virtual non-contrast imaging in photon counting computed tomography: an animal study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutjahr, R.; Polster, C.; Kappler, S.; Pietsch, H.; Jost, G.; Hahn, K.; Schöck, F.; Sedlmair, M.; Allmendinger, T.; Schmidt, B.; Krauss, B.; Flohr, T. G.

    2016-03-01

    The energy resolving capabilities of Photon Counting Detectors (PCD) in Computed Tomography (CT) facilitate energy-sensitive measurements. The provided image-information can be processed with Dual Energy and Multi Energy algorithms. A research PCD-CT firstly allows acquiring images with a close to clinical configuration of both the X-ray tube and the CT-detector. In this study, two algorithms (Material Decomposition and Virtual Non-Contrast-imaging (VNC)) are applied on a data set acquired from an anesthetized rabbit scanned using the PCD-CT system. Two contrast agents (CA) are applied: A gadolinium (Gd) based CA used to enhance contrasts for vascular imaging, and xenon (Xe) and air as a CA used to evaluate local ventilation of the animal's lung. Four different images are generated: a) A VNC image, suppressing any traces of the injected Gd imitating a native scan, b) a VNC image with a Gd-image as an overlay, where contrast enhancements in the vascular system are highlighted using colored labels, c) another VNC image with a Xe-image as an overlay, and d) a 3D rendered image of the animal's lung, filled with Xe, indicating local ventilation characteristics. All images are generated from two images based on energy bin information. It is shown that a modified version of a commercially available dual energy software framework is capable of providing images with diagnostic value obtained from the research PCD-CT system.

  17. Renal stone characterization using high resolution imaging mode on a photon counting detector CT system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrero, A.; Gutjahr, R.; Henning, A.; Kappler, S.; Halaweish, A.; Abdurakhimova, D.; Peterson, Z.; Montoya, J.; Leng, S.; McCollough, C.

    2017-03-01

    In addition to the standard-resolution (SR) acquisition mode, a high-resolution (HR) mode is available on a research photon-counting-detector (PCD) whole-body CT system. In the HR mode each detector consists of a 2x2 array of 0.225 mm x 0.225 mm subpixel elements. This is in contrast to the SR mode that consists of a 4x4 array of the same subelements, and results in 0.25 mm isotropic resolution at iso-center for the HR mode. In this study, we quantified ex vivo the capabilities of the HR mode to characterize renal stones in terms of morphology and mineral composition. Forty pure stones - 10 uric acid (UA), 10 cystine (CYS), 10 calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and 10 apatite (APA) - and 14 mixed stones were placed in a 20 cm water phantom and scanned in HR mode, at radiation dose matched to that of routine dual-energy stone exams. Data from micro CT provided a reference for the quantification of morphology and mineral composition of the mixed stones. The area under the ROC curve was 1.0 for discriminating UA from CYS, 0.89 for CYS vs COM and 0.84 for COM vs APA. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the percent UA in mixed stones was 11.0% with a medium-sharp kernel and 15.6% with the sharpest kernel. The HR showed qualitatively accurate characterization of stone morphology relative to micro CT.

  18. CMOS SPAD-based image sensor for single photon counting and time of flight imaging

    OpenAIRE

    Dutton, Neale Arthur William

    2016-01-01

    The facility to capture the arrival of a single photon, is the fundamental limit to the detection of quantised electromagnetic radiation. An image sensor capable of capturing a picture with this ultimate optical and temporal precision is the pinnacle of photo-sensing. The creation of high spatial resolution, single photon sensitive, and time-resolved image sensors in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology offers numerous benefits in a wide field of applications....

  19. Sum rules for multi-photon spectroscopy of ions in finite symmetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kibler, M.; Daoud, M.

    1993-05-01

    Models describing one- and two-photon transitions for ions in crystalline environments are unified and extended to the case of parity-allowed and parity-forbidden p-photon transitions. The number of independent parameters for characterizing the polarization dependence is shown to depend on an ensemble of properties and rules which combine symmetry considerations and physical models. (author) 26 refs

  20. The irreducible photon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, David L.

    2009-08-01

    In recent years it has become evident that the primary concept of the photon has multiple interpretations, with widely differing secondary connotations. Despite the all-pervasive nature of this concept in science, some of the ancillary properties with which the photon is attributed in certain areas of application sit uneasily alongside those invoked in other areas. Certainly the range of applications extends far beyond what was envisaged in the original conception, now entering subjects extending from elementary particle physics and cosmology through to spectroscopy, statistical mechanics and photochemistry. Addressing this diverse context invites the question: What is there, that it is possible to assert as incontrovertibly true about the photon? Which properties are non-controversial, if others are the subject of debate? This paper describes an attempt to answer these questions, establishing as far as possible an irreducible core of what can rightly be asserted about the photon, and setting aside some of what often is, but should never be so asserted. Some of the more bewildering difficulties and differences of interpretation owe their origin to careless descriptions, highlighting a need to guard semantic precision; although simplifications are frequently and naturally expedient for didactic purposes, they carry the risk of becoming indelible. Focusing on such issues, the aim is to identify how much or how little about the photon can be regarded as truly non-controversial.

  1. Single-Electron and Single-Photon Sensitivity with a Silicon Skipper CCD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiffenberg, Javier; Sofo-Haro, Miguel; Drlica-Wagner, Alex; Essig, Rouven; Guardincerri, Yann; Holland, Steve; Volansky, Tomer; Yu, Tien-Tien

    2017-09-01

    We have developed ultralow-noise electronics in combination with repetitive, nondestructive readout of a thick, fully depleted charge-coupled device (CCD) to achieve an unprecedented noise level of 0.068 e- rms /pixel . This is the first time that discrete subelectron readout noise has been achieved reproducible over millions of pixels on a stable, large-area detector. This enables the contemporaneous, discrete, and quantized measurement of charge in pixels, irrespective of whether they contain zero electrons or thousands of electrons. Thus, the resulting CCD detector is an ultra-sensitive calorimeter. It is also capable of counting single photons in the optical and near-infrared regime. Implementing this innovative non-destructive readout system has a negligible impact on CCD design and fabrication, and there are nearly immediate scientific applications. As a particle detector, this CCD will have unprecedented sensitivity to low-mass dark matter particles and coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, while future astronomical applications may include direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanets.

  2. Monolithic array of 32 SPAD pixels for single-photon imaging at high frame rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tisa, Simone; Guerrieri, Fabrizio; Zappa, Franco

    2009-01-01

    We present a single-chip monolithic array of 32 Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) and associated electronics for imaging at high frame rates and high sensitivity. Photodetectors, front-end circuitry and control electronics used to manage the array are monolithically integrated on the same chip in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS high-voltage technology. The array is composed of 32 'smart' pixels working in photon counting mode and functioning in a parallel fashion. Every cell comprises of an integrated SPAD photodetector, a novel quenching circuit named as Variable Load Quenching Circuit (VLQC), counting electronics and a buffer memory. Proper ancillary electronics that perform the arbitration of photon counts between two consecutive frames is integrated as well. Thanks to the presence of in-pixel memory registers, the inter-frame dead time between subsequent frames is limited to few nanoseconds. Since integration and download are performed simultaneously and the array can be addressed like a standard digital memory, the achievable maximum frame rate is very high in the order of hundreds of thousands of frame/s.

  3. Studies of atomic diffusion in binary alloys by X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy with particular attention to B2 phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stana, M.B.

    2015-01-01

    The way single atoms change places in a condensed system determines many of its properties. Insight into the mechanisms controlling such processes, therefore, yields a better understanding of matter which in turn allows for improving fabrication and tailoring of material properties. Intermetallic alloys have many attractive features for industrial applications, such as high specific strength, good corrosion and oxidation resistance and low raw material cost. Their application is, however, still strongly limited by properties such as high brittleness at low temperatures. Methods capable of studying diffusion on an atomistic level have been restricted to high temperatures close to the melting point of intermetallics until now. The new method of atomic- scale X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy provides a means of studying these materials at technically relevant working temperatures. This thesis demonstrates the application of this new technique to binary intermetallic alloys. In the first part the theoretical concepts underlying atomic-scale X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy such as correlation, rate equations, scattering and reciprocal space will be tho- roughly discussed. As computer simulation techniques play an important role in data evaluation, a chapter is dedicated to this topic. The experimental preconditions are then treated. The last chapters are devoted to the presentation of experimental results. It is shown that a new diffusion mechanism is required to explain atomic hops at relatively low temperature in a B2 Fe-Al alloy with a few percent of excess Fe, while in a B2 Ag-Mg alloy with excess Ag commonly known mechanisms can explain the observed diffusion behavior. (author) [de

  4. CeB6 Sensor for Thermoelectric Single-Photon Detector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armen KUZANIAN

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Interest in single-photon detectors has recently sharply increased. The most developed single-photon detectors are currently based on superconductors. Following the theory, thermoelectric single-photon detectors can compete with superconducting detectors. The operational principle of thermoelectric detector is based on photon absorption by absorber as a result of which a temperature gradient is generated across the sensor. In this work we present the results of computer modeling of heat distribution processes after absorption of a photon of 1 keV - 1 eV energy in different areas of the absorber for different geometries of tungsten absorber and cerium hexaboride sensor. The time dependence of the temperature difference between the ends of the thermoelectric sensor and electric potential appearing across the sensor are calculated. The results of calculations show that it is realistic to detect single photons from IR to X-ray and determine their energy. Count rates up to hundreds gigahertz can be achieved.

  5. Single-photon sources based on single molecules in solids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moerner, W E

    2004-01-01

    Single molecules in suitable host crystals have been demonstrated to be useful single-photon emitters both at liquid-helium temperatures and at room temperature. The low-temperature source achieved controllable emission of single photons from a single terrylene molecule in p-terphenyl by an adiabatic rapid passage technique. In contrast with almost all other single-molecule systems, terrylene single molecules show extremely high photostability under continuous, high-intensity irradiation. A room-temperature source utilizing this material has been demonstrated, in which fast pumping into vibrational sidebands of the electronically excited state achieved efficient inversion of the emissive level. This source yielded a single-photon emission probability p(1) of 0.86 at a detected count rate near 300 000 photons s -1 , with very small probability of emission of more than one photon. Thus, single molecules in solids can be considered as contenders for applications of single-photon sources such as quantum key distribution

  6. Likelihood functions for the analysis of single-molecule binned photon sequences

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gopich, Irina V., E-mail: irinag@niddk.nih.gov [Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States)

    2012-03-02

    Graphical abstract: Folding of a protein with attached fluorescent dyes, the underlying conformational trajectory of interest, and the observed binned photon trajectory. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A sequence of photon counts can be analyzed using a likelihood function. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The exact likelihood function for a two-state kinetic model is provided. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Several approximations are considered for an arbitrary kinetic model. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Improved likelihood functions are obtained to treat sequences of FRET efficiencies. - Abstract: We consider the analysis of a class of experiments in which the number of photons in consecutive time intervals is recorded. Sequence of photon counts or, alternatively, of FRET efficiencies can be studied using likelihood-based methods. For a kinetic model of the conformational dynamics and state-dependent Poisson photon statistics, the formalism to calculate the exact likelihood that this model describes such sequences of photons or FRET efficiencies is developed. Explicit analytic expressions for the likelihood function for a two-state kinetic model are provided. The important special case when conformational dynamics are so slow that at most a single transition occurs in a time bin is considered. By making a series of approximations, we eventually recover the likelihood function used in hidden Markov models. In this way, not only is insight gained into the range of validity of this procedure, but also an improved likelihood function can be obtained.

  7. Ultrathin NbN film superconducting single-photon detector array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smirnov, K; Korneev, A; Minaeva, O; Divochiy, A; Tarkhov, M; Ryabchun, S; Seleznev, V; Kaurova, N; Voronov, B; Gol'tsman, G; Polonsky, S

    2007-01-01

    We report on the fabrication process of the 2 x 2 superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD) array. The SSPD array is made from ultrathin NbN film and is operated at liquid helium temperatures. Each detector is a nanowire-based structure patterned by electron beam lithography process. The advances in fabrication technology allowed us to produce highly uniform strips and preserve superconducting properties of the unpatterned film. SSPD exhibit up to 30% quantum efficiency in near infrared and up to 1% at 5-μm wavelength. Due to 120 MHz counting rate and 18 ps jitter, the time-domain multiplexing read-out is proposed for large scale SSPD arrays. Single-pixel SSPD has already found a practical application in non-invasive testing of semiconductor very-large scale integrated circuits. The SSPD significantly outperformed traditional single-photon counting avalanche diodes

  8. High-throughput gated photon counter with two detection windows programmable down to 70 ps width

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boso, Gianluca; Tosi, Alberto, E-mail: alberto.tosi@polimi.it; Zappa, Franco [Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy); Mora, Alberto Dalla [Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

    2014-01-15

    We present the design and characterization of a high-throughput gated photon counter able to count electrical pulses occurring within two well-defined and programmable detection windows. We extensively characterized and validated this instrument up to 100 Mcounts/s and with detection window width down to 70 ps. This instrument is suitable for many applications and proves to be a cost-effective and compact alternative to time-correlated single-photon counting equipment, thanks to its easy configurability, user-friendly interface, and fully adjustable settings via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) link to a remote computer.

  9. High-throughput gated photon counter with two detection windows programmable down to 70 ps width

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boso, Gianluca; Tosi, Alberto; Zappa, Franco; Mora, Alberto Dalla

    2014-01-01

    We present the design and characterization of a high-throughput gated photon counter able to count electrical pulses occurring within two well-defined and programmable detection windows. We extensively characterized and validated this instrument up to 100 Mcounts/s and with detection window width down to 70 ps. This instrument is suitable for many applications and proves to be a cost-effective and compact alternative to time-correlated single-photon counting equipment, thanks to its easy configurability, user-friendly interface, and fully adjustable settings via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) link to a remote computer

  10. REVIEW: Optics of globular photonic crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorelik, V. S.

    2007-05-01

    The results of experimental and theoretical studies of the optical properties of globular photonic crystals - new physical objects having a crystal structure with the lattice period exceeding considerably the atomic size, are presented. As globular photonic crystals, artificial opal matrices consisting of close-packed silica globules of diameter ~200 nm were used. The reflection spectra of these objects characterising the parameters of photonic bands existing in these crystals in the visible spectral region are presented. The idealised models of the energy band structure of photonic crystals investigated in the review give analytic dispersion dependences for the group velocity and the effective photon mass in a globular photonic crystal. The characteristics of secondary emission excited in globular photonic crystals by monochromatic and broadband radiation are presented. The results of investigations of single-photon-excited delayed scattering of light observed in globular photonic crystals exposed to cw UV radiation and radiation from a repetitively pulsed copper vapour laser are presented. The possibilities of using globular photonic crystals as active media for lasing in different spectral regions are considered. It is proposed to use globular photonic crystals as sensitive sensors in optoelectronic devices for molecular analysis of organic and inorganic materials by the modern methods of laser spectroscopy. The results of experimental studies of spontaneous and stimulated globular scattering of light are discussed. The conditions for observing resonance and two-photon-excited delayed scattering of light are found. The possibility of accumulation and localisation of the laser radiation energy inside a globular photonic crystal is reported.

  11. A superconducting microcalorimeter for low-flux detection of near-infrared single photons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dreyling-Eschweiler, Jan

    2014-07-01

    This thesis covers the development and the characterization of a single photon detector based on a superconducting microcalorimeter. The detector development is motivated by the Any Light Particle Search II (ALPS II) experiment at DESY in Hamburg, which searches for weakly interacting sub-eV particles (WISPs). Therefore, a detection of low-fluxes of 1064 nm light is required. The work is divided in three analyses: the characterization of a milli-kelvin (mK) cryostat, the characterization of superconducting sensors for single photon detection, and the determination of dark count rates concerning 1064 nm signals. Firstly, an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) is characterized, which allows to reach mK-temperatures. During commissioning, the ADR cryostat is optimized and prepared to stably cool superconducting sensors at 80 mK±25 μK. It is found that sensors can be continuously operated for ∝20 h before recharging the system in -4 s -1 . By operating a fiber-coupled TES, it is found that the dark count rate for 1064 nm signals is dominated by pile-up events of near-infrared thermal photons coming through the fiber from the warm environment. Considering a detection efficiency of ∝18 %, a dark count rate of 8.6 . 10 -3 s -1 is determined for 1064 nm ALPS photons.Concerning ALPS II, this results in a sensitivity gain compared to the ALPS I detector. Furthermore, this thesis is the starting point of TES detector development in Hamburg, Germany.

  12. Measurement of infrared optical constants with visible photons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paterova, Anna; Yang, Hongzhi; An, Chengwu; Kalashnikov, Dmitry; Krivitsky, Leonid

    2018-04-01

    We demonstrate a new scheme for infrared spectroscopy with visible light sources and detectors. The technique relies on the nonlinear interference of correlated photons, produced via spontaneous parametric down conversion in a nonlinear crystal. Visible and infrared photons are split into two paths and the infrared photons interact with the sample under study. The photons are reflected back to the crystal, resembling a conventional Michelson interferometer. Interference of the visible photons is observed and it is dependent on the phases of all three interacting photons: pump, visible and infrared. The transmission coefficient and the refractive index of the sample in the infrared range can be inferred from the interference pattern of visible photons. The method does not require the use of potentially expensive and inefficient infrared detectors and sources, it can be applied to a broad variety of samples, and it does not require a priori knowledge of sample properties in the visible range.

  13. Optimal multi-photon phase sensing with a single interference fringe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, G. Y.; Hofmann, H. F.; Pryde, G. J.

    2013-01-01

    Quantum entanglement can help to increase the precision of optical phase measurements beyond the shot noise limit (SNL) to the ultimate Heisenberg limit. However, the N-photon parity measurements required to achieve this optimal sensitivity are extremely difficult to realize with current photon detection technologies, requiring high-fidelity resolution of N + 1 different photon distributions between the output ports. Recent experimental demonstrations of precision beyond the SNL have therefore used only one or two photon-number detection patterns instead of parity measurements. Here we investigate the achievable phase sensitivity of the simple and efficient single interference fringe detection technique. We show that the maximally-entangled “NOON” state does not achieve optimal phase sensitivity when N > 4, rather, we show that the Holland-Burnett state is optimal. We experimentally demonstrate this enhanced sensitivity using a single photon-counted fringe of the six-photon Holland-Burnett state. Specifically, our single-fringe six-photon measurement achieves a phase variance three times below the SNL. PMID:24067490

  14. A unified statistical framework for material decomposition using multienergy photon counting x-ray detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Jiyoung; Kang, Dong-Goo; Kang, Sunghoon; Sung, Younghun; Ye, Jong Chul

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Material decomposition using multienergy photon counting x-ray detectors (PCXD) has been an active research area over the past few years. Even with some success, the problem of optimal energy selection and three material decomposition including malignant tissue is still on going research topic, and more systematic studies are required. This paper aims to address this in a unified statistical framework in a mammographic environment.Methods: A unified statistical framework for energy level optimization and decomposition of three materials is proposed. In particular, an energy level optimization algorithm is derived using the theory of the minimum variance unbiased estimator, and an iterative algorithm is proposed for material composition as well as system parameter estimation under the unified statistical estimation framework. To verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, the authors performed simulation studies as well as real experiments using physical breast phantom and ex vivo breast specimen. Quantitative comparisons using various performance measures were conducted, and qualitative performance evaluations for ex vivo breast specimen were also performed by comparing the ground-truth malignant tissue areas identified by radiologists.Results: Both simulation and real experiments confirmed that the optimized energy bins by the proposed method allow better material decomposition quality. Moreover, for the specimen thickness estimation errors up to 2 mm, the proposed method provides good reconstruction results in both simulation and real ex vivo breast phantom experiments compared to existing methods.Conclusions: The proposed statistical framework of PCXD has been successfully applied for the energy optimization and decomposition of three material in a mammographic environment. Experimental results using the physical breast phantom and ex vivo specimen support the practicality of the proposed algorithm

  15. Linear and Nonlinear Molecular Spectroscopy with Laser Frequency Combs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Picque, Nathalie

    2013-06-01

    The regular pulse train of a mode-locked femtosecond laser can give rise to a comb spectrum of millions of laser modes with a spacing precisely equal to the pulse repetition frequency. Laser frequency combs were conceived a decade ago as tools for the precision spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen. They are now becoming enabling tools for an increasing number of applications, including molecular spectroscopy. Recent experiments of multi-heterodyne frequency comb Fourier transform spectroscopy (also called dual-comb spectroscopy) have demonstrated that the precisely spaced spectral lines of a laser frequency comb can be harnessed for new techniques of linear absorption spectroscopy. The first proof-of-principle experiments have demonstrated a very exciting potential of dual-comb spectroscopy without moving parts for ultra-rapid and ultra-sensitive recording of complex broad spectral bandwidth molecular spectra. Compared to conventional Michelson-based Fourier transform spectroscopy, recording times could be shortened from seconds to microseconds, with intriguing prospects for spectroscopy of short lived transient species. The resolution improves proportionally to the measurement time. Therefore longer recordings allow high resolution spectroscopy of molecules with extreme precision, since the absolute frequency of each laser comb line can be known with the accuracy of an atomic clock. Moreover, since laser frequency combs involve intense ultrashort laser pulses, nonlinear interactions can be harnessed. Broad spectral bandwidth ultra-rapid nonlinear molecular spectroscopy and imaging with two laser frequency combs is demonstrated with coherent Raman effects and two-photon excitation. Real-time multiplex accessing of hyperspectral images may dramatically expand the range of applications of nonlinear microscopy. B. Bernhardt et al., Nature Photonics 4, 55-57 (2010); A. Schliesser et al. Nature Photonics 6, 440-449 (2012); T. Ideguchi et al. arXiv:1201.4177 (2012) T

  16. An Economical Fast Discriminator for Nuclear Pulse Counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Issarachai, Opas; Punnachaiya, Suvit

    2009-07-01

    Full text: This research work was aimed to develop a fast discriminator at low cost but high capability for discrimination a nanosecond nuclear pulse. The fast discriminator can be used in association with fast photon counting system. The designed structure consisted of the ultra-fast voltage comparator using ADCMP601 integrated circuit, the monostable multivibrator with controllable pulse width output by propagation delay of logic gate, and the fast response buffer amplifier. The tested results of pulse height discrimination of 0-5 V nuclear pulse with 20 ns (FWHM) pulse width showed the correlation coefficient (R 2 ) between discrimination level and pulse height was 0.998, while the pulse rate more than 10 MHz could be counted. The 30 ns logic pulse width output revealed high stable and could be smoothly driven to low impedance load at 50 Ω. For pulse signal transmission to the counter, it was also found that the termination of reflected signal must be considered because it may cause pulse counting error

  17. Highly multiplexible thermal kinetic inductance detectors for x-ray imaging spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulbricht, Gerhard; Mazin, Benjamin A.; Szypryt, Paul; Walter, Alex B.; Bockstiegel, Clint; Bumble, Bruce

    2015-01-01

    For X-ray imaging spectroscopy, high spatial resolution over a large field of view is often as important as high energy resolution, but current X-ray detectors do not provide both in the same device. Thermal Kinetic Inductance Detectors (TKIDs) are being developed as they offer a feasible way to combine the energy resolution of transition edge sensors with pixel counts approaching CCDs and thus promise significant improvements for many X-ray spectroscopy applications. TKIDs are a variation of Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) and share their multiplexibility: working MKID arrays with 2024 pixels have recently been demonstrated and much bigger arrays are under development. In this work, we present a TKID prototype, which is able to achieve an energy resolution of 75 eV at 5.9 keV, even though its general design still has to be optimized. We further describe TKID fabrication, characterization, multiplexing, and working principle and demonstrate the necessity of a data fitting algorithm in order to extract photon energies. With further design optimizations, we expect to be able to improve our TKID energy resolution to less than 10 eV at 5.9 keV

  18. Highly multiplexible thermal kinetic inductance detectors for x-ray imaging spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ulbricht, Gerhard, E-mail: ulbricht@physics.ucsb.edu; Mazin, Benjamin A.; Szypryt, Paul; Walter, Alex B.; Bockstiegel, Clint [Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106 (United States); Bumble, Bruce [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)

    2015-06-22

    For X-ray imaging spectroscopy, high spatial resolution over a large field of view is often as important as high energy resolution, but current X-ray detectors do not provide both in the same device. Thermal Kinetic Inductance Detectors (TKIDs) are being developed as they offer a feasible way to combine the energy resolution of transition edge sensors with pixel counts approaching CCDs and thus promise significant improvements for many X-ray spectroscopy applications. TKIDs are a variation of Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) and share their multiplexibility: working MKID arrays with 2024 pixels have recently been demonstrated and much bigger arrays are under development. In this work, we present a TKID prototype, which is able to achieve an energy resolution of 75 eV at 5.9 keV, even though its general design still has to be optimized. We further describe TKID fabrication, characterization, multiplexing, and working principle and demonstrate the necessity of a data fitting algorithm in order to extract photon energies. With further design optimizations, we expect to be able to improve our TKID energy resolution to less than 10 eV at 5.9 keV.

  19. Cerenkov counting and Cerenkov-scintillation counting with high refractive index organic liquids using a liquid scintillation counter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wiebe, L I; Helus, F; Maier-Borst, W [Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Nuklearmedizin

    1978-06-01

    /sup 18/F and /sup 14/C radioactivity was measured in methyl salicylate (MS), a high refractive index hybrid Cherenkov-scintillation generating medium, using a liquid scintillation counter. At concentrations of up to 21.4%, in MS, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) quenched /sup 14/C fluorescence, and with a 10-fold excess of DMSO over MS, /sup 18/F count rates were reduced below that for DMSO alone, probably as a result of concentration-independent self-quenching due to 'dark-complex' formation. DMSO in lower concentrations did not reduce the counting efficiency of /sup 18/F in MS. Nitrobenzene was a concentration-dependent quencher for both /sup 14/C and /sup 18/F in MS. Chlorobenzene (CB) and DMSO were both found to be weak Cherenkov generators with /sup 18/F. Counting efficiencies for /sup 18/F in MS, CB, and DMSO were 50.3, 7.8 and 4.3% respectively in the coincidence counting mode, and 58.1, 13.0 and 6.8% in the singles mode. /sup 14/C efficiencies were 14.4 and 22.3% for coincidence and singles respectively, and 15.3 and 42.0% using a modern counter designed for coincidence and single photon counting. The high /sup 14/C and /sup 18/F counting efficiency in MS are discussed with respect to excitation mechanism, on the basis of quench and channels ratios changes observed. It is proposed that MS functions as an efficient Cherenkov-scintillation generator for high-energy beta emitters such as /sup 18/F, and as a low-efficiency scintillator for weak beta emitting radionuclides such as /sup 14/C.

  20. Direct Characterization of Ultrafast Energy-Time Entangled Photon Pairs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLean, Jean-Philippe W; Donohue, John M; Resch, Kevin J

    2018-02-02

    Energy-time entangled photons are critical in many quantum optical phenomena and have emerged as important elements in quantum information protocols. Entanglement in this degree of freedom often manifests itself on ultrafast time scales, making it very difficult to detect, whether one employs direct or interferometric techniques, as photon-counting detectors have insufficient time resolution. Here, we implement ultrafast photon counters based on nonlinear interactions and strong femtosecond laser pulses to probe energy-time entanglement in this important regime. Using this technique and single-photon spectrometers, we characterize all the spectral and temporal correlations of two entangled photons with femtosecond resolution. This enables the witnessing of energy-time entanglement using uncertainty relations and the direct observation of nonlocal dispersion cancellation on ultrafast time scales. These techniques are essential to understand and control the energy-time degree of freedom of light for ultrafast quantum optics.