1. High-timing-precision detection of single X-ray photons by superconducting nanowires.
- Author
-
Guo, Shuya, Tan, Jingrou, Zhang, Hengbin, Wang, Jinguang, Ji, Tianhao, Zhang, Labao, Hu, Xiaolong, Chen, Jian, Xie, Jun, Zou, Kai, Meng, Yun, Bei, Xiaomin, Wu, Ling-An, Chen, Qi, Wang, Hao, Tu, Xuecou, Jia, Xiaoqing, Zhao, Qing-Yuan, Kang, Lin, and Wu, Peiheng
- Subjects
- *
X-ray detection , *PHOTON counting , *NANOWIRES , *PHOTONS , *NIOBIUM nitride , *SUPERCONDUCTING transitions , *SUPERCONDUCTING composites - Abstract
Precisely acquiring the timing information of individual X-ray photons is important in both fundamental research and practical applications. The timing precision of commonly used X-ray single-photon detectors remains in the range of one hundred picoseconds to microseconds. In this work, we report on high-timing-precision detection of single X-ray photons through the fast transition to the normal state from the superconductive state of superconducting nanowires. We successfully demonstrate a free-running X-ray single-photon detector with a timing resolution of 20.1 ps made of 100-nm-thick niobium nitride film with an active area of 50 μ m by 50 μ m. By using a repeated differential timing measurement on two adjacent X-ray single-photon detectors, we demonstrate a precision of 0.87 ps in the arrival-time difference of X-ray photon measurements. Therefore, our work significantly enhances the timing precision in X-ray photon counting, opening a new niche for ultrafast X-ray photonics and many associated applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF