Quantus Quanta: Photon Bunching
Major
Physics
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Physics
Faculty Advisor
Gabriel C. Spalding
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-12-2025 8:30 AM
End Date
4-12-2025 9:30 AM
Abstract
Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) are photodetectors that, under certain conditions, are sensitive enough to detect single quanta of light. Existing laboratory curricula at the undergraduate level use reverse-biased Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as cheap, inefficient SPADs, which are useful for teaching students basic electronics and introducing them to photon bunching. However, many of the components that these labs rely on are now out of production. Our goal is to keep these labs accessible by redesigning our procedures to use commercially-available surface-mount device (SMD) versions of LEDs mounted on custom-designed Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) including student-soldered wire connections. In all, we aim to maintain the current integrity of the electronics and quantum laboratory curriculum, while also making it available to the broader physics community.
Quantus Quanta: Photon Bunching
CNS Atrium
Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) are photodetectors that, under certain conditions, are sensitive enough to detect single quanta of light. Existing laboratory curricula at the undergraduate level use reverse-biased Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as cheap, inefficient SPADs, which are useful for teaching students basic electronics and introducing them to photon bunching. However, many of the components that these labs rely on are now out of production. Our goal is to keep these labs accessible by redesigning our procedures to use commercially-available surface-mount device (SMD) versions of LEDs mounted on custom-designed Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) including student-soldered wire connections. In all, we aim to maintain the current integrity of the electronics and quantum laboratory curriculum, while also making it available to the broader physics community.