Introduction to the Journal of Modern Optics Special Issue on Single- Photon: Detectors, Applications, and Measurement Methods

摘要

Single-photon detection and manipulation is becoming increasingly important for the emerging fields of quantum computation and quantum cryptography, as well as for more traditional fields requiring low-light sensitivity.(star) Quantum cryptography is a clear driver of much of the current interest in single-photon detection, as can be seen through the growth of the literature in this area. Single-photon detection had a long but steady presence in the scientific literature until the early 199Os, when a dramatic change occurred with the birth of quantum cryptography; requiring a log-plot to adequately present the rate of paper production. Research on single-photon detection is expected to continue to grow with the current military and civilian interest in improved security, as well as the potential of optical quantum computing. In fact, considering all the resources proposed to be devoted to these applications, the community at large may be underestimating the efforts needed on single-photon detector development.