Optical control of single-photon negative-feedback avalanche diode detector

Gaëtan Gras; Nigar Sultana; Anqi Huang; Thomas Jennewein; Félix Bussières; Vadim Makarov; Hugo Zbinden

doi:10.1063/1.5140824

Optical control of single-photon negative-feedback avalanche diode detector

Quantum Physics 2020-03-11 v2

Authors: Gaëtan Gras , Nigar Sultana , Anqi Huang , Thomas Jennewein , Félix Bussières , Vadim Makarov , Hugo Zbinden

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Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate optical control of negative-feedback avalanche diode (NFAD) detectors using bright light. We deterministically generate fake single-photon detections with a better timing precision than normal operation. This could potentially open a security loophole in quantum cryptography systems. We then show how monitoring the photocurrent through the avalanche photodiode can be used to reveal the detector is being blinded.

Keywords

single-photon avalanche diodes superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

Cite

@article{arxiv.1911.12742,
  title  = {Optical control of single-photon negative-feedback avalanche diode detector},
  author = {Gaëtan Gras and Nigar Sultana and Anqi Huang and Thomas Jennewein and Félix Bussières and Vadim Makarov and Hugo Zbinden},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1911.12742},
  year   = {2020}
}

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