| 日期 06 November 2025
This is the first time Swabian Instruments has attended the Frontiers in Optics and Laser Science (FiO+LS) in Denver, Colorado. The last week of October 2025 has been full of interesting conversations surrounding state-of-the-art optics research and upcoming advancements. Our team has been particularly delighted to reconnect with old friends and enjoy conversations with new partners in the field, to continue to move the needle forward. Across four days, we engaged with long-time collaborators, explored emerging directions in photon detection, LiDAR, spectroscopy, and quantum networking, and gathered valuable ideas that connect directly to Swabian Instruments’ technology.
One of the week’s highlights was the invited talk by Dr. Matteo Moioli from Swabian Instruments, in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Scarbrough (Prof. Jeff Squier’s group, in the Physics department at Colorado School of Mines), titled “Enhancing Multiphoton Microscopy through Photon Number Resolution.”
During this presentation, Matteo explained how silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detectors coupled with Swabian Instruments’ Time Tagger X enable precise photon-number discrimination without the need for cryogenic cooling. Using the pulse-width and slope method, the Time Tagger captures the rising and falling edges of detector pulses and measures their slope via dual trigger levels, allowing researchers to accurately infer the number of photons contributing to each signal. This method results in an accessible solution for applications requiring precise photon-number resolution where superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) may be impractical or too costly. The talk sparked significant discussion about integrating this approach into broader photon-counting and quantum-sensing systems.
“The ability to resolve photon events at room temperature makes quantum measurements far more approachable for many optical research groups” said Dr. Matteo Moioli
Among the keynote sessions, Nobel Laureate David J. Wineland (NIST and the University of Oregon) delivered a talk that tied together decades of work in trapped-ion control and precision metrology. This is the second time this year that our team has been fortunate enough to witness one of his talks, the first being IEEE Quantum Week in September.
Another notable keynote speaker was Prof. Vladan Vuletić, Lester Wolfe Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His plenary focused on Laser-Atom Interactions and covered topics involving spin squeezing experiments to quantum computing.
Dr. Stefanie Barz is a German physicist and Professor of Quantum Information and Technology at the University of Stuttgart, working in photonic quantum technology. Her talk encompassed information from the fundamental principles of photon interference to real challenges during integration in quantum setups.
A related talk on a similar topic was given by PsiQuantum, which discussed manufacturing photonic quantum computers and the process of building large-scale systems. This presentation included insight into PsiQuantum’s latest developments on wafer-scale integration of superconducting nanowire PNR detectors.
Dr. Daniel Lum (MITRE) presented his work on turbulence-adaptive, eye-safe wind-detection LiDAR at high altitudes. This is important because the National Transportation Safety Board has identified turbulence encounters as the leading factor contributing to serious accidents. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that clean air turbulence has increased by 41% in the US since 1979 and continues to rise. MITRE’s findings suggested that precise photon-counting LiDAR can support next-generation aerospace sensing by providing a warning system prior to turbulence, which can help mitigate related damage and injuries to people aboard.
Prof. Ting (Indiana University Bloomington) was part of an insightful panel, “Quantum Frontiers: Collaboration, Competition, and Convergence in Sensing and Communication”. Some topics of discussion included the importance of photonics research and the general impact of quantum sensing on various applications, such as materials research, the food industry, satellite communications, and biomedical applications.
Alp Sipahigil is a distinguished professor at UC Berkeley and a faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He presented his progress on developing “Optically interconnected spin qubit registers in silicon photonics”, including a demonstration of T-center entanglement experiments, multiplexed operation of color centers, and evaluation of decoherence processes.
Another interesting opportunity to highlight was the “Optica Applied Spectroscopy Speed Networking Event,” in which people working in related fields gathered to share insights and discuss the current state of the art and their vision for where the field is trending.
A group from CINVESTAV Monterrey presented several results on particle size analysis of aerosols and complex mixtures using coherence-gated dynamic light scattering (CG-DLS), inspired by the need to analyze the effect of particles such as those from e-cigarettes. They also presented on interferometric methods for DLS, motivated by the need to operate at ultra-low volume fractions with samples that are highly valuable or inherently scarce, such as plant-derived nanovesicles or exosome release by cellular processes.
In addition to this wide range of topics, a variety of poster sessions were held throughout the week, facilitating insightful conversations. Beyond the technical program, our team got the opportunity to visit the beautiful Red Rocks in Colorado.
See you again in Denver in March 2025 for APS!
Photon detection is a fundamental and well‐established capability in modern experimental physics, with applications in quantum optics, imaging, and communication. A key challenge is achieving photon‐number resolution (PNR), the ability to precisely distinguish how many photons impinge on the detector. Superconducting nanowire single‐photon detectors (SNSPDs) offer excellent PNR capabilities, but are expensive and require cryogenic cooling.
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Photon number resolution (PNR) is an enabling technique used to assign the number of photons involved in a detection event precisely. This technique leverages photon-number-resolving single-photon detectors as well as sophisticated signal analysis, and it is necessary for quantum cryptography and quantum communication.
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