Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

19 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Direct detection of a single photon by humans.

ABSTRACT: Despite investigations for over 70 years, the absolute limits of human vision have remained unclear. Rod cells respond to individual photons, yet whether a single-photon incident on the eye can be perceived by a human subject has remained a fundamental open question. Here we report that humans can detect a single-photon incident on the cornea with a probability significantly above chance. This was achieved by implementing a combination of a psychophysics procedure with a quantum light source that can generate single-photon states of light. We further discover that the probability of reporting a single photon is modulated by the presence of an earlier photon, suggesting a priming process that temporarily enhances the effective gain of the visual system on the timescale of seconds.

SUBMITTER: Tinsley JN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4960318 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

Direct detection of a single photon by humans.

Tinsley Jonathan N JN Molodtsov Maxim I MI Prevedel Robert R Wartmann David D Espigulé-Pons Jofre J Lauwers Mattias M Vaziri Alipasha A

Nature communications 20160719

Despite investigations for over 70 years, the absolute limits of human vision have remained unclear. Rod cells respond to individual photons, yet whether a single-photon incident on the eye can be perceived by a human subject has remained a fundamental open question. Here we report that humans can detect a single-photon incident on the cornea with a probability significantly above chance. This was achieved by implementing a combination of a psychophysics procedure with a quantum light source tha ...[more]

PMID: 27434854

Similar Datasets

Anomalous weak values via a single photon detection.

Project description:Is it possible that a measurement of a spin component of a spin-1/2 particle yields the value 100? In 1988 Aharonov, Albert and Vaidman argued that upon pre- and postselection of particular spin states, weakening the coupling of a standard measurement procedure ensures this paradoxical result1. This theoretical prediction, called weak value, was realised in numerous experiments2-9, but its meaning remains very controversial10-19, since its "anomalous" nature, i.e., the possibility to exceed the eigenvalue spectrum, as well as its "quantumness" are debated20-22. We address these questions by presenting the first experiment measuring anomalous weak values with just a single click, without the need for statistical averaging. The measurement uncertainty is significantly smaller than the gap between the measured weak value and the nearest eigenvalue. Beyond clarifying the meaning of weak values, demonstrating their non-statistical, single-particle nature, this result represents a breakthrough in understanding the foundations of quantum measurement, showing unprecedented measurement capability for further applications of weak values to quantum photonics.

| S-EPMC8149841 | biostudies-literature

Ultrabroadband direct detection of nonclassical photon statistics at telecom wavelength.

Project description:Broadband light sources play essential roles in diverse fields, such as high-capacity optical communications, optical coherence tomography, optical spectroscopy, and spectrograph calibration. Although a nonclassical state from spontaneous parametric down-conversion may serve as a quantum counterpart, its detection and characterization have been a challenging task. Here we demonstrate the direct detection of photon numbers of an ultrabroadband (110 nm FWHM) squeezed state in the telecom band centred at 1535 nm wavelength, using a superconducting transition-edge sensor. The observed photon-number distributions violate Klyshko's criterion for the nonclassicality. From the observed photon-number distribution, we evaluate the second- and third-order correlation functions, and characterize a multimode structure, which implies that several tens of orthonormal modes of squeezing exist in the single optical pulse. Our results and techniques open up a new possibility to generate and characterize frequency-multiplexed nonclassical light sources for quantum info-communications technology.

| S-EPMC3974141 | biostudies-other

Direct comparison of cardiovascular magnetic resonance and single-photon emission computed tomography for detection of coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis.

Project description:OBJECTIVE: To use direct comparative studies or randomised controlled trials to compare the accuracy of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for the detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Various databases were searched for original articles published prior to June 2013. Studies were selected that performed both CMR and SPECT in the same or randomised patients to detect CAD and that presented sufficient data to allow construction of contingency tables. For each study, the true-positive, false-positive, true-negative, and false-negative values were extracted or derived, and 2 × 2 contingency tables were constructed. To reduce heterogeneity, the meta-analysis was carried out in two parts: (1) coronary territory-based analysis and (2) patient-based analysis. RESULTS: 10 studies (5 studies based on patient, 4 studies based on coronary territory, and 1 study based on both) were included in the meta-analysis with a total of 1727 patients. The methodological quality was moderate. For part (1), the summary estimates were as follows: for CMR based on patient-a sensitivity of 0.79 (95% confidence interval: 0.72-0.84) and a specificity of 0.75 (0.65-0.83); for SPECT based on patient-a sensitivity of 0.70 (0.59-0.79) and a specificity of 0.76 (0.66-0.83). For part (2), the summary estimates for CMR based on coronary territory were a sensitivity of 0.80 (0.73-0.85) and a specificity of 0.87 (0.81-0.91), and the summary estimates for SPECT based on coronary territory were a sensitivity of 0.67 (0.60-0.72) and a specificity of 0.80 (0.75-0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with SPECT, CMR is more sensitive to detect CAD on a per-patient basis. Nonetheless, large scale, well-designed trials are necessary to assess its clinical value on a per-coronary territory basis.

| S-EPMC3919767 | biostudies-literature

Wireless fluorescence capsule for endoscopy using single photon-based detection.

Project description:Fluorescence Imaging (FI) is a powerful technique in biological science and clinical medicine. Current FI devices that are used either for in-vivo or in-vitro studies are expensive, bulky and consume substantial power, confining the technique to laboratories and hospital examination rooms. Here we present a miniaturised wireless fluorescence endoscope capsule with low power consumption that will pave the way for future FI systems and applications. With enhanced sensitivity compared to existing technology we have demonstrated that the capsule can be successfully used to image tissue autofluorescence and targeted fluorescence via fluorophore labelling of tissues. The capsule incorporates a state-of-the-art complementary metal oxide semiconductor single photon avalanche detector imaging array, miniaturised optical isolation, wireless technology and low power design. When in use the capsule consumes only 30.9 mW, and deploys very low-level 468 nm illumination. The device has the potential to replace highly power-hungry intrusive optical fibre based endoscopes and to extend the range of clinical examination below the duodenum. To demonstrate the performance of our capsule, we imaged fluorescence phantoms incorporating principal tissue fluorophores (flavins) and absorbers (haemoglobin). We also demonstrated the utility of marker identification by imaging a 20 μM fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labelling solution on mammalian tissue.

| S-EPMC4683524 | biostudies-literature

Imaging Dynamics Beneath Turbid Media via Parallelized Single-Photon Detection.

Project description:Noninvasive optical imaging through dynamic scattering media has numerous important biomedical applications but still remains a challenging task. While standard diffuse imaging methods measure optical absorption or fluorescent emission, it is also well-established that the temporal correlation of scattered coherent light diffuses through tissue much like optical intensity. Few works to date, however, have aimed to experimentally measure and process such temporal correlation data to demonstrate deep-tissue video reconstruction of decorrelation dynamics. In this work, a single-photon avalanche diode array camera is utilized to simultaneously monitor the temporal dynamics of speckle fluctuations at the single-photon level from 12 different phantom tissue surface locations delivered via a customized fiber bundle array. Then a deep neural network is applied to convert the acquired single-photon measurements into video of scattering dynamics beneath rapidly decorrelating tissue phantoms. The ability to reconstruct images of transient (0.1-0.4 s) dynamic events occurring up to 8 mm beneath a decorrelating tissue phantom with millimeter-scale resolution is demonstrated, and it is highlighted how the model can flexibly extend to monitor flow speed within buried phantom vessels.

| S-EPMC9404405 | biostudies-literature

Quantum dot single-photon switches of resonant tunneling current for discriminating-photon-number detection.

Project description:Low-noise single-photon detectors that can resolve photon numbers are used to monitor the operation of quantum gates in linear-optical quantum computation. Exactly 0, 1 or 2 photons registered in a detector should be distinguished especially in long-distance quantum communication and quantum computation. Here we demonstrate a photon-number-resolving detector based on quantum dot coupled resonant tunneling diodes (QD-cRTD). Individual quantum-dots (QDs) coupled closely with adjacent quantum well (QW) of resonant tunneling diode operate as photon-gated switches- which turn on (off) the RTD tunneling current when they trap photon-generated holes (recombine with injected electrons). Proposed electron-injecting operation fills electrons into coupled QDs which turn "photon-switches" to "OFF" state and make the detector ready for multiple-photons detection. With proper decision regions defined, 1-photon and 2-photon states are resolved in 4.2 K with excellent propabilities of accuracy of 90% and 98% respectively. Further, by identifying step-like photon responses, the photon-number-resolving capability is sustained to 77 K, making the detector a promising candidate for advanced quantum information applications where photon-number-states should be accurately distinguished.

| S-EPMC4369729 | biostudies-other

Single-photon detection and cryogenic reconfigurability in lithium niobate nanophotonic circuits.

Project description:Lithium-Niobate-On-Insulator (LNOI) is emerging as a promising platform for integrated quantum photonic technologies because of its high second-order nonlinearity and compact waveguide footprint. Importantly, LNOI allows for creating electro-optically reconfigurable circuits, which can be efficiently operated at cryogenic temperature. Their integration with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) paves the way for realizing scalable photonic devices for active manipulation and detection of quantum states of light. Here we demonstrate integration of these two key components in a low loss (0.2 dB/cm) LNOI waveguide network. As an experimental showcase of our technology, we demonstrate the combined operation of an electrically tunable Mach-Zehnder interferometer and two waveguide-integrated SNSPDs at its outputs. We show static reconfigurability of our system with a bias-drift-free operation over a time of 12 hours, as well as high-speed modulation at a frequency up to 1 GHz. Our results provide blueprints for implementing complex quantum photonic devices on the LNOI platform.

| S-EPMC8617300 | biostudies-literature

Spatially resolved single photon detection with a quantum sensor array.

Project description:We propose a method of resolving a spatially coherent signal, which contains on average just a single photon, against the background of local noise at the same frequency. The method is based on detecting the signal simultaneously in several points more than a wavelength apart through the entangling interaction of the incoming photon with the quantum metamaterial sensor array. The interaction produces the spatially correlated quantum state of the sensor array, characterised by a collective observable (e.g., total magnetic moment), which is read out using a quantum nondemolition measurement. We show that the effects of local noise (e.g., fluctuations affecting the elements of the array) are suppressed relative to the signal from the spatially coherent field of the incoming photon as , where N is the number of array elements. The realisation of this approach in the microwave range would be especially useful and is within the reach of current experimental techniques.

| S-EPMC3857576 | biostudies-other

Frequency-Encoded Multicolor Fluorescence Imaging with Single-Photon-Counting Color-Blind Detection.

Project description:Standard fluorescence microscopy relies on filter-based detection of emitted photons after fluorophore excitation at the appropriate wavelength. Although of enormous utility to the biological community, the implementation of approaches for simultaneous multicolor fluorescence imaging is commonly challenged by the large spectral overlap between different fluorophores. Here, we describe an alternative multicolor fluorescence imaging methodology that exclusively relies on the absorption spectra of the fluorophores instead of their fluorescence emissions. The method is based on multiplexing optical excitation signals in the frequency domain and using single color-blind detection. Because the spectral information is fully encoded during excitation, the method requires minimal spectral filtering on detection. This enables the simultaneous identification of multiple color channels in a single measurement with only one color-blind detector. We demonstrate simultaneous three-color confocal imaging of individual molecules and of four-target imaging on cells with excellent discrimination. Moreover, we have implemented a non-negative matrix factorization algorithm for spectral unmixing to extend the number of color targets that can be discriminated in a single measurement. Using this algorithm, we resolve six spectrally and spatially overlapping fluorophores on fixed cells using four excitation wavelengths. The methodology is fully compatible with live imaging of biological samples and can be easily extended to other imaging modalities, including super-resolution microscopy, making simultaneous multicolor imaging more accessible to the biological research community.

| S-EPMC6104530 | biostudies-literature

Direct single-molecule dynamic detection of chemical reactions.

Project description:Single-molecule detection can reveal time trajectories and reaction pathways of individual intermediates/transition states in chemical reactions and biological processes, which is of fundamental importance to elucidate their intrinsic mechanisms. We present a reliable, label-free single-molecule approach that allows us to directly explore the dynamic process of basic chemical reactions at the single-event level by using stable graphene-molecule single-molecule junctions. These junctions are constructed by covalently connecting a single molecule with a 9-fluorenone center to nanogapped graphene electrodes. For the first time, real-time single-molecule electrical measurements unambiguously show reproducible large-amplitude two-level fluctuations that are highly dependent on solvent environments in a nucleophilic addition reaction of hydroxylamine to a carbonyl group. Both theoretical simulations and ensemble experiments prove that this observation originates from the reversible transition between the reactant and a new intermediate state within a time scale of a few microseconds. These investigations open up a new route that is able to be immediately applied to probe fast single-molecule physics or biophysics with high time resolution, making an important contribution to broad fields beyond reaction chemistry.

| S-EPMC5817934 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data