Synchronized time tagger for single-photon detection in one- and two-dimension quantum experiments

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Experimental Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Precise timing is crucial for advanced quantum experiments, particularly those involving single-photon detection.
• Conventional synchronization methods in quantum experiments can limit efficiency and data acquisition speed.
• Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are promising qubits for quantum computing and sensing, requiring high-resolution characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a high-precision, hardware-synchronized time tagger for quantum experiments.
• To improve the efficiency and speed of quantum experiments through hardware synchronization.
• To enable advanced optical characterization of quantum systems like NV centers.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a synchronized time tagger on a field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) chip.
• Utilizing hardware synchronization to ensure precise correlation between control parameters and acquired data.
• Employing the time tagger for single-photon detection in quantum experiments, including those with NV centers.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 9.2 ps single-shot root-mean-square precision for time tagging.
• Integrated 1 GB dynamic memory for substantial data storage.
• Demonstrated up to 61.3% efficiency improvement in a typical NV center quantum experiment due to hardware synchronization.
• Enabled detailed electrical benchmarking and advanced optical feature analysis of quantum systems.

Conclusions:

• The FPGA-based synchronized time tagger significantly enhances efficiency and precision in quantum experiments.
• Hardware synchronization offers a substantial advantage over software synchronization for faster and more efficient quantum control.
• The developed technique is versatile and can be readily applied to various quantum control systems and experiments.