High-timing-precision detection of single X-ray photons by superconducting nanowires  

作　　者：Shuya Guo Jingrou Tan Hengbin Zhang Jinguang Wang Tianhao Ji Labao Zhang Xiaolong Hu Jian Chen Jun Xie Kai Zou Yun Meng Xiaomin Bei Ling-An Wu Qi Chen Hao Wang Xuecou Tu Xiaoqing Jia Qing-Yuan Zhao Lin Kang Peiheng Wu 

机构地区：[1]Research Institute of Superconductor Electronics,Nanjing University,Nanjing 210093,China [2]Qian Xuesen Laboratory of Space Technology,Beijing 100094,China [3]Beijing National Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics,Institute of Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100190,China [4]Hefei National Laboratory,Hefei 230088,China [5]School of Precision Instrument and Optoelectronic Engineering,Tianjin University,Tianjin 300072,China [6]Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Information Science and Technology,Ministry of Education,Tianjin 300072,China

出　　处：《National Science Review》2024年第1期189-198,共10页国家科学评论（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFB0503300 and 2017YFA0304002);the Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology(2021ZD0303401);the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12033002, 61975229, 62101240, 62071218, 62071214and 61801206);the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (2020B0303020001);the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD);the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Manipulating Technique of Electromagnetic Waves。

摘　　要：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 μm by 50 μm. 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.

关 键 词：single-photon detection timing precision SUPERCONDUCTOR ultrafast phenomenon pulsar X-ray navigation 

分 类 号：O511.3[一般工业技术—材料科学与工程] O434.1[理学—低温物理]